Ted Cruz has not responded to Beto O'Rourke's call for six debates in U.S. Senate race

AUSTIN — U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz's campaign has not responded to a request from U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke to schedule a series of debates ahead of the general election.

O'Rourke's campaign manager sent a letter to the senator's team in April, asking them to agree to participate in six debates, including two in Spanish. The letter asked the Cruz's campaign to respond by Thursday.

More: Beto O'Rourke vs. Ted Cruz: A campaign diary

Although Cruz's team has not replied to the request, O'Rourke spokesman Chris Evans said he is hopeful they will still be able to arrange the events.

"Given what Senator Cruz said to reporters on the topic, his desire to debate at least 5 times in 2012, and his willingness to debate in states across the country during his run for the presidency, we look forward to a response and the opportunity to coordinate with the Cruz campaign," Evans said in a statement.

More: 'Betting on Beto': O'Rourke campaign events draw hundreds in Senate bid to unseat Ted Cruz

Jody Casey, O'Rourke's campaign manager, sent a letter to members of Cruz's senior staff on April 24, asking to set up the debates.

"I would like to begin direct coordination of the debates with your campaign team between now and May 10th," Casey wrote.

When Casey's letter was first reported by the Texas Tribune, Cruz spokeswoman Catherine Frazier said the senator is "looking forward to debates" and they would start working on arranging the meetings.

Evans said O'Rourke's campaign team has not been contacted about the letter. Cruz's campaign did not return a request for comment from the El Paso Times.

More: Beto O'Rourke wants to debate Ted Cruz 6 times, including in Spanish, in Senate campaign

The race between Cruz and O'Rourke, who represents El Paso in Congress, has been intensifying since Cruz formally started campaigning in April. O'Rourke has been on the road for more than a year and has pledged to visit every county in Texas before the election. He has three left to visit.

A poll from Quinnipiac University released last month put O'Rourke within striking distance of Cruz, who was first elected to the Senate in 2012. Of those surveyed, 47 percent said they backed Cruz and 44 percent supported O'Rourke.

More: U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, now an insider, campaigns like outsider in race against Beto O'Rourke

Cruz has indicated his willingness to debate O'Rourke, with the caveat that his Spanish "remains lousy." O'Rourke is a fluent Spanish speaker.

"A debate in Spanish would not be very good because my Spanish isn’t good enough, but I look forward to debating Congressman O’Rourke," Cruz told reporters in San Antonio earlier this month, according to the Texas Tribune.

Both candidates discussed the possibility of a debate in March, after winning their respective primary elections. At the time, O'Rourke stressed his interest in having a debate in Spanish.

About 39 percent of Texas' population is Hispanic and more than 35 percent of Texas households speak a language other than English at home, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

More: Ted Cruz vs. Beto O'Rourke: Showdown set after Texas Primary Election

Cruz also told reporters in March that he expected to debate O'Rourke before the November election.

"I am not remotely afraid to debate left-wing, liberal socialists," Cruz said at the time, pointing to his participation in several televised debates with U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Madlin Mekelburg is a reporter with the USA Today Network Austin Bureau; she may be reached at 512-479-6606; mmekelburg@elpasotimes.com; @madlinbmek on Twitter.