Beto O'Rourke accepts Ted Cruz debate challenge, asks for debate in El Paso

Madlin Mekelburg | El Paso Times

Show Caption Hide Caption Watch: Beto O'Rourke releases first video ad of Texas Senate race against Ted Cruz Beto O'Rourke's first video advertisement of his Senate campaign features clips from his live Facebook videos

AUSTIN — U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke will debate at least five times ahead of the general election, now that O'Rourke has accepted a challenge from his Republican opponent to meet for a series of debates.

In a letter sent to Cruz's campaign on Friday, O'Rourke said he was looking forward to the debates, but offered several suggestions, including the addition of a sixth debate location.

"I would also propose adding a sixth debate to be held in El Paso, our state’s sixth largest city and the largest binational community in the hemisphere," he wrote.

Cruz's team responded to his letter on Friday evening, writing, "our debate plan isn't an open negotiation."

"Rather, it is an offer for you to participate in a fair and fruitful debate program across the Lone Star State," wrote Cruz strategist Jeff Roe. "However, given that El Paso is your home city, we are certainly open to your suggestion to swap out one of the current five host locations."

Cruz's campaign team on Wednesday proposed five dates for debates in the coming month, each in a different city and limited to a specific topic.

His challenge came months after the El Paso Democrat had asked Cruz to participate in six debates across the state, including two in Spanish.

More: Ted Cruz wants five debates with Beto O'Rourke in Texas US Senate race

In his letter accepting the debates, O'Rourke also asked that the scope of each event be broadened, so attendees can ask candidates questions on any topic.

"At each debate, our fellow Texans should be able to raise any issue and do so in an

unscripted town hall format," O'Rourke wrote. "Those issues should include ones you have already proposed and those you did not, including, but not limited to: serving our veterans, public education, money in politics, farming and ranching, the environment, civil rights and social security."

Cruz's campaign letter asks O'Rourke to commit to five debates with predetermined topics:

Aug. 31, Dallas: "Jobs/Taxes/Federal Regulations/National Economy"

Sept. 14, McAllen: "Immigration/Border Security/Criminal Justice/Supreme Court"

Sept. 21, San Antonio: "Foreign Policy/National Security"

Oct. 5, Houston: "Energy/Trade/Texas Economy"

Oct. 12, Lubbock: "Healthcare/Obamacare"

In the original letter, Roe said the debates will give both parties a chance to "share your respective visions with Texas voters."

"As Senator Cruz has long believed, our democratic process is best served by presenting a clear and substantive contrast of competing policy ideas," Roe wrote.

O'Rourke also asked if at least three proposed debates could be moved to a weeknight or a Sunday.

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

Cruz's campaign never formally responded to O'Rourke's April request to schedule debates, but the senator has said he would debate O'Rourke. He said any debates they have would have to be in English, because his Spanish "isn't good enough."

Both campaigns have received dozens of requests from television stations, newspapers and nonprofits asking for the chance to host a debate between the candidates.

In her initial request to schedule six, O'Rourke's campaign manager Jody Casey asked Cruz's campaign to respond within two weeks so they could start scheduling the debates.

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

They received no answer until July, when Casey sent a second letter to Cruz's team asking about the challenge.

Bryan English, a senior adviser to the Cruz campaign, responded to the letter and said he would notify O'Rourke's team when they are ready to start scheduling a debate.

"As you pointed out in your second note, the Senator has made it quite clear he is looking forward to debating Congressman O'Rourke," he wrote, according to the Dallas Morning News. "However, your arbitrary timeline for coordinating between the campaigns remains irrelevant to our decision-making process."

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

This story has been updated to include a second letter sent by Cruz's campaign on Friday.

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.