HOUSTON – KPRC 2 and its partners - Telemundo Houston, Que Onda Magazine and the League of Women Voters of Houston - are hosting a mayoral debate on Tuesday, Oct. 10.
The debate will be live at 7 p.m. from Dunham Theater at Houston Christian University and will broadcast on KPRC 2, KPRC 2+ and www.Click2Houston.com and Telemundo Houston’s digital platforms on www.TelemudoHouston.com. The debate can be streamed on Samsung TV Plus channel 1255, Roku channel 904, FireTV, XumoPlay, freevee and LocalNow.
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Moderated by KTMD’s Crystal Ayala and KPRC 2’s Daniella Guzman, the one-hour event will include five of the qualifying candidates, determined by the number of individual campaign donors, who will discuss their vision of Houston’s future specifically related to crime, city infrastructure, disaster preparation as well as equity and equality in housing and employment. The remaining candidates were each invited to record statements that will air immediately following the debate at 8 p.m. All 18 campaigns were informed and aware of the debate parameters.
Watch the debate in the media player below:
“Our commitment to Inform and engage our community goes hand in hand with the spirit of civic involvement,” said Freddy Oldenburg, Telemundo Houston’s VP of News. “It’s our duty to amplify the voices and stories that empower our citizens to participate in the process and inspire positive change in our great city.”
“The health of our democracy depends on an engaged and informed electorate,” said Bernice Kearney, News Director of KPRC 2. “Our roles as news organizations and as a provider of nonpartisan voter information and registration are crucial components of the election process.”
“The League of Women Voters of Houston, KPRC 2, Telemundo Houston and ¡Que Onda! Magazine are committed to providing our community with helpful resources that will encourage an informed choice on Election Day,” added Claudia Ortega Hogue, President League of Women Voters of Houston. “We believe candidate debates are an important element of this outreach.”
The diverse group of candidates that qualified to take part in the debate include: Annie “Mama” Garcia, Lee Kaplan, M.J. Khan, U.S. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and State Senator John Whitmire.
Candidates with recorded statements include: Gaylon Caldwell, Dr. Jack Christie, Robert Gallegos, Gilbert Garcia, M. Griff Griffin, Robert (B) Ivy, David Lowy, Julian Martinez, Chanel Mbala and Robin Williams.
The debate will include a live audience of invited guests and additional coverage by KTMD’s Antonio Hernandez and KPRC 2’s Khambrel Marshall. Election Day is Nov. 7. Early voting begins Oct. 23 and runs through Nov. 3. The deadline to register to vote is October 10.
WHICH CANDIDATES WILL PARTICIPATE?
There are 18 candidates in the mayoral race.
Long before the Aug. 21 filing deadline, we decided five candidates would participate in the on-stage portion of the event.
In late August, we sent a letter to all candidates stating: “Only five of the leading candidates will be eligible to participate in the live debate broadcast. The leading candidates will be determined by polling and by the number of individual campaign donors.”
In mid-September, we sent a letter giving candidates additional information: “We will only use polls conducted after the August 21 filing deadline to ensure all candidates are part of the survey. If no polling is available leading up to the debate, the number of individual campaign donors will be the only parameter used in deciding who will participate in the live broadcast.”
That same letter in September also stated: “We will pull finance reports on Oct. 3 to give the candidates who will be participating in our debate enough time to prepare. If you would like to be considered for this live broadcast, you would need to file your finance report by Oct. 3. If you do not file by Oct. 3, we will use reports filed in the previous filing period.”
On Oct. 3, we began retrieving the campaign finance reports from the city secretary’s website. After two days of counting and tabulating, we now have the names of the five candidates who had the highest number of individual campaign donors.
Lee Kaplan, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, Annie “Mama” Garcia, M.J. Khan, and State Senator John Whitmire have qualified to participate in the on-stage portion of the debate on Tuesday.
WHERE CAN YOU WATCH THE LIVE DEBATE?
You can watch the debate at 7 p.m. on KPRC 2, KPRC 2+ and Click2Houston.com, as well as Telemundo Houston’s digital and OTT platforms.
WILL THE OTHER 13 CANDIDATES BE FEATURED IN ANY WAY?
All candidates were invited to do a taping at the KPRC 2 studios. Those statements from the candidates who are not on stage for the debate will be seen immediately following the event at 8 p.m. on KPRC 2+, and Telemundo Houston’s digital and OTT platforms. All candidates will also be eligible to answer a post-debate questionnaire available online by the League of Women Voters of Houston.
IMPORTANT DATES
EARLY VOTING BEGINS: Oct. 23
EARLY VOTING ENDS: Nov. 3
ELECTION DAY: Nov. 7
HOW CAN YOU LEARN MORE ABOUT THE UPCOMING ELECTION?
The League of Women Voters of Houston has a one-of-a-kind nonpartisan Voters Guide, free of charge!
Click here for your copy: https://www.houstonvotersguide.org/