Ted Cruz-Beto O'Rourke Aug. 31 Dallas Debate Likely Off

AUSTIN, TEXAS — The highly anticipated first debate between Sen. Ted Cruz and his Democratic challenger Beto O'Rouke is off.

The El Paso Democrat said this week the first of several debates that was scheduled in Dallas on Aug. 21 is a no-go, accusing Cruz's camp of trying to dictate various aspects of the proposed meeting — including the time, moderators and subjects covered, the Texas Tribune reported.

"Friday in Dallas is not going to happen, but I'm convinced we will debate," O'Rourke said Monday during an appearance at the 2018 Texas Disability Issues Forum in Austin, as reported by the Texas Tribune. "I'm convinced there will be a number of debates."

In July, Cruz challenged O'Rourke to five debates with a detailed plan with proposed dates, cities and topics. The initial gathering first proposed for Aug. 31 in Dallas that now appears shuttered was to focus on "Jobs/Taxes/Federal Regulations/National Economy." O'Rourke accepted, with the proviso that a sixth debate take place in his El Paso hometown.

Related story: Ted Cruz-Challenging Beto O'Rourke To Host Cedar Park Town Hall

As the Tribune reported, O'Rourke said Cruz's campaign has "attempted to dictate" various aspects of the debate schedule, prompting the likely cancellation.

"We're working through those differences, and we're trying to introduce more of a collaborative style to the negotiations than he may be used to," O'Rourke said during the forum, as the Tribune noted in its report. "And so we're confident that out of that, we're going to come to something good."

The Cruz camp responded to the representative's complaints: "[O'Rourke] begged for debates, but when Sen. Cruz invited him to five debates all across Texas, suddenly O’Rourke seemed to get scared," spokesperson Emily Miller said, as the Tribune reported. The spokeswoman added that "...except for when he has to be in D.C. for his work in the Senate, Cruz is ready and excited to debate O’Rourke, including this Friday."

The race for the U.S. Senate seat held by Cruz since 2013 is one of the most hotly contested political contests in the nation. Adding to its intrigue are the gains O'Rourke has made in deep-red Texas, including raising more money than Cruz and now within striking distance of Cruz in recent polls ahead of the midterms.

A newly released Marist College poll shows Republican Sen. Ted Cruz with a 49 percent to 45 percent advantage over his Democratic opponent in the Texas Senate race. Another voter survey, the Quinnipiac university poll also gives Cruz a small yet clear advantage in the developing contest.

On Monday, another survey was released painting the race as being even tighter. The Emerson College poll, released Monday morning, has the Democratic challenger trailing Cruz by just a single point, 38-37. The results were yielded after a survey of 550 registered voters questioned between Aug. 22 and Aug. 25, with 21 percent of those polled still undecided.

>>> Read the full story at Texas Tribune

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