Dr. David Alameel at an April 9, 2012, candidate forum in Dallas. (Eve Edelheit/staff) and Sen. John Cornyn at a Nov. 6 hearing on the Affordable Care Act. (AP/J. Scott Applewhite)
updated 1pm with comments from Cornyn campaign manager, and Alameel’s challenge for more debates and at 1:20 with Alameel’s open letter challenging Cornyn to more debates.
WASHINGTON — Sen. John Cornyn and Democratic challenger David Alameel have agreed to one face-to-face televised debate.
They’ll meet in Dallas at Mountain View College on Friday, Oct. 24. The hour-long debate will air Saturday night Oct. 25 at 10 pm on Univision stations across Texas. The debate will take place in English, with Spanish simulcast.
Neither campaign has announced the event.
“That’s the only one they asked for and we said yes,” said Cornyn, a Republican seeking a third 6-year term.
He mentioned the event this morning in a meeting with The Dallas Morning News editorial board, and Alameel spokesman Gustavo Bujanda confirmed it.
But Bujanda said the challenger sought many more debates, including and especially one aimed at a broader audience. The Cornyn side refused, he said.
“Alas, no success,” he said.
Cornyn campaign manager Brendan Steinhauser disputed that. He said he’s unaware of any requests from Alameel for other debates and said that this one stemmed from an invitation from Univision, not the challenger.
“I don’t know what they’re talking about,” he said.
Bujanda, in a subsequent conversation, stood by the assertion that Alameel has asked Cornyn for multiple debates and said that to clear up any confusion, Alameel will put the request in writing. He then issued an open letter challenging Cornyn to more debates:
Alameel debate challenge to Cornyn