AUSTIN, Texas — The Lone Star State is home to some of the most competitive, high-profile, and expensive races of the 2026 midterm elections, but with early voting set to begin Monday, voters have yet to see candidates in several key contests face off on a debate stage.
Democrats have increasingly seized on the absence of debates to attack their Republican opponents, staging events with empty podiums and challenging them to face voters.
“I think the people deserve to see a debate,” 21-year-old Daniel Riley told the Washington Examiner at a Talarico rally on Thursday. “I think the people deserve to see their candidates run and talk to each other, and also just hear out their policies first and foremost, and I think it’s a disgrace that Ken Paxton is not willing to go up on the stage and in front of everyone and tell what he’s about and stand for that.”
The debate disputes come as Texas faces an unusually competitive election cycle. Talarico and Paxton are locked in a tight Senate race, with most polls showing the Democrat holding a slight advantage, often within the margin of error.
Talarico has repeatedly challenged Paxton to debate, including on Fox News, but the two candidates have yet to reach an agreement. Paxton’s campaign previously expressed a willingness to debate but raised objections to proposed moderators.
On Wednesday, Talarico instead participated in a CNN town hall in Fort Worth, where he faced questions from six voters with differing political views. Paxton did not participate, despite an invitation from the network.
“If you apply for the job of representing 31 million Texans, you should show up to the job interview,” Talarico said at the Thursday rally in San Marcos, Texas.
The calls for a debate have not come exclusively from Democrats.
“I think the contrast couldn’t be more clear and I’d love to see that contrast in front of voters very clearly,” Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) said, suggesting that a debate between the two should take place.
The Senate race is hardly the only high-profile Texas contest where debates have become a campaign flashpoint.
Democratic gubernatorial nominee Gina Hinojosa challenged Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) to four debates, but the three-term incumbent has declined to participate. On Thursday, Hinojosa appeared outside the governor’s mansion in Austin with an empty podium representing Abbott and fielded questions from reporters to highlight his absence.
“The governor is hiding,” Hinojosa said. “He’s hiding from his record, his failed record of the most people without health insurance. … It’s why he won’t debate me. It’s why he’s hiding from the voters.”
Abbott, who debated his Democratic opponents in his previous three gubernatorial campaigns, has defended his decision to forgo a debate this year, arguing that meeting directly with Texans is a better use of his time.
The governor, who uses a wheelchair, also accused Hinojosa of deliberately staging an event that would have been inaccessible to him.
“This morning’s circus in Austin was no sincere attempt to debate: a standing podium reachable only by stairs, purposefully designed to keep someone in a wheelchair from participating,” Abbott’s campaign wrote on X.
Even a proposed debate in the race for Texas railroad commissioner remains uncertain. Democratic nominee Jon Rosenthal announced plans for an Oct. 22 debate with Republican nominee Bo French, but French has not publicly confirmed his participation. French has faced bipartisan condemnation over racist social media posts about University of Texas students.
The absence of debates has also become an issue in several closely watched congressional races, particularly in South Texas, where Republicans redrew districts last year in hopes of expanding their House majority.
In Texas’s 34th Congressional District, a debate scheduled for Oct. 14 between Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX) and Republican challenger Eric Flores was canceled following a disagreement over debate rules, according to Corpus Christi Cronica. The race is considered a “toss-up” by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.
In the neighboring 28th District, Republican nominee Tano Tijerina has accused Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) of declining multiple invitations to debate.
“Henry, I’m inviting you into debate,” Tijerina said in a video. “I know you decline multiple requests, but like you said, debate is good for the people to see both candidates. And I promise I’ll try not to bring up your federal indictments and FBI raids that we all know.”
Meanwhile, in Texas’s 15th District, Democratic nominee and Latin Grammy-winning Tejano singer Bobby Pulido has accused Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-TX) of avoiding a debate as their race becomes increasingly competitive.
De La Cruz is facing a tougher reelection campaign despite a redrawn district designed to favor Republicans. Pulido has gained ground in polling and reported a substantial fundraising haul in the third quarter.
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Last month, Pulido accused De La Cruz of “running scared” after challenging her to a debate.
“Apparently the only stage she’s comfortable on is the RNC,” Pulido said in a press release.