Lupe Valdez, Andrew White Face Off In Sole Debate Before Runoff

AUSTIN, TX — Democratic contenders for the Texas governorship faced off Friday evening in Austin a mere three days before the beginning of early voting in the May 22 runoff.

The debate, moderated by Dallas Morning News political reporter Gromer M. Jeffers, took on hot topic issues like LGBT protections, tax reform and immigration as some 1,400 online viewers watched the debate in East Austin's St. James Episcopal Church.

Valdez's most impassioned moment centered on abortion.

The former sheriff stated she trusts women to make their own healthcare decisions. She went on to reiterate the same stance without clarification when pressed about late-term abortions.

White, who has gone on record as personally pro-life, stated he agrees with the Roe v. Wade decision and supports a woman's right to choose.

Valdez pointed to the Houston businessman's personal position as an indicator of a belief that women who have had abortions do not respect life.

"Andrew, you owe an apology to these women," Valdez fired back.

White laughed, calling her response "theatrical." He went on to say if elected, he will oppose pro-life legislation and work to roll back restrictions on abortion in Texas.

Contention aside, the candidates had similar views on several issues, including tax reform.

Both candidates leaned toward an effort to better fund schools while defunding border security. Additionally, they each offered a vehement "no" when asked if they would work to implement income taxes in Texas.

"We don’t need to militarize our border," White said. "It’s a humanitarian issue. We have a border situation where people are dying crossing the border."

Valdez agreed with White, citing an intention to redirect some $800 million in border security funding into education. Taking it a step further, Valdez said she aims to implement a plan creating free community college tuition for graduates of Texas high schools.

As any Texas debate would have it, the topic of border security was discussed by both candidates.

White found himself in a sticky spot concerning border security, briefly mentioning his business, which uses heartbeat-detecting technology to find people hiding in vehicles.

He said the company, which he is actively working to divest from, saves lives while tightening security. He drew attention to a recent incident of illegal immigration that left several people dead in a hot 18-wheeler truck in San Antonio.

He suggested a technological approach to border security is more effective than armed guards or a wall, as is often proposed by state Republicans. He also made a nod toward the Trump administration's refusal to allow Syrian refugees while mentioning the possibility of easing the immigration process.

White wasn't alone undergoing scrutiny on border security. The moderator pointed to allegations that Valdez didn't do enough to resist ICE regulations on sanctuary cities.

"No matter how many times you say it, it isn’t true," Valdez replied. "I did not work with ICE. I did what I had to do, and that was an imperfect choice."

Another question from Jerffers centered on prison reform and mass-incarceration of minority groups.

Valdez cited food and transportation deserts as contributors to crime rates, suggesting increased availability of necessary goods would cut back on crime.

She also suggested a better relationship between law enforcement and minority communities could help decrease incarceration rates, although she offered little followup explanation.

White's ideas, meanwhile, focused heavily on marijuana legislation. The candidate said he intends to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana while clearing records of such past convictions.

As discussion turned to LGBT protections, White pointed out his nomination from the Houston GLBT caucus and, in turn, to Valdez's failure to secure endorsements from Texas newspapers.

Valdez argued she had the "endorsement of the people," drawing attention to supporters like Planned Parenthood, among others.

"The problem, maybe, is that I don't talk newspaper language," she said. "I talk people language."

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