Closer look at candidates in Friday night's Houston mayoral debate

HOUSTON – On Friday, four of Houston's mayoral candidates will take the stage to debate the issues. 

The debate begins at 7 p.m. at Houston Baptist University. It will be televised live on KPRC 2 and streamed live at Click2Houston.com.

In order to qualify for the debate, mayoral candidates must have exceeded $50,000 in total political contributions as reported in official campaign finance reports filed with the city no later than October 7, 2019.  Any candidate meeting that requirement was invited to participate in the debate.

Those who qualified were asked to provide photos and biographies.

Dwight Boykins

Houston mayoral candidate and Councilman Dwight Boykins is seen in this undated photo provided by his campaign.

"My vision is that by the time my term is up, we will have a more vibrant economic stream in the District, safe neighborhoods where families can thrive, food deserts drastically curtailed or eliminated entirely, major investments into parks, and community members empowered to understand the value of the land they occupy."

As an established business and government leader, Dwight will ensure equal and fair principles are applied within City of Houston government as Mayor and as a City Council Member. Council Member Dwight Boykins was born and educated in District D and has served and will continue to serve with passion to advocate for District D residents and all of Houstonians.

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Tony Buzbee

Houston mayoral candidate Tony Buzbee is seen in this undated photo provided by his campaign.

Tony Buzbee is the son of a union meat cutter and a school bus driver. He was the first person in
his family to go to college, made possible by an ROTC scholarship. Upon graduation, he joined
the United States Marines. After the Marines, Buzbee was accepted into the University of
Houston Law Center. He graduated summa cum laude and was second in his class.

Tony is a lawyer, businessman, philanthropist, and change agent. He is not a politician; he is a
problem solver. Tony is running for Mayor of Houston to end corruption, restore effective
government, and deliver results for all Houstonians.

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Bill King

Houston mayoral candidate Bill King is seen in this undated photo provided by his campaign.

A lifelong resident of the Houston area, Bill King grew up the son of a union pipefitter and worked his way through the University of Houston, earning bachelor's and law degrees – becoming the first in his family to graduate from college. 

After Hurricanes Rita and Ike, Mr. King was tapped to help redraw disaster response plans for the Gulf Coast. For his leadership, he was awarded the Outstanding Service Award from the National Hurricane Conference.

He has 40 years of experience building businesses, speaking out on Houston's biggest issues, working on Houston's toughest challenges and giving back through community service. 

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Sylvester Turner

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner is seen in this undated photo provided by his campaign.

Sylvester Turner grew up as one of nine children in the northwest community of Acres Homes. Neither of his parents finished high school but they instilled in their children the value of education and Mayor Turner's well-known optimism. This is why in his more than three decades in public service—in the Texas Legislature and as Mayor of Houston—he has strived to provide opportunities and a better quality of life for young and old. Mayor Turner has kept the city fiscally sound, improved public safety, brought in jobs and innovative businesses and led Houston through three natural disasters.

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