# Texas Republicans Skip Senate Debate

> Texas Republicans refuse to debate Senate candidate James Talarico despite repeated invitations.
- Title: Texas Republicans Skip Senate Debate · The Texas Tribune
- Summary: Texas Republicans refuse to debate Senate candidate James Talarico despite repeated invitations. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Governor Greg Abbott…
- Keywords: texas, senate, republican, democrat, ken paxton, james talarico, governor greg abbott, gina hinojosa, election, debate, news, local
- Source: The Texas Tribune — https://feeds.texastribune.org/link/16799/17491159/texas-debate-republicans-talarico-paxton-abbott-hinojosa-election
- Author: Kayla Guo
- Published: 2026-10-07T10:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: texas, senate, republican, democrat, ken paxton, james talarico, governor greg abbott, gina hinojosa, election, debate, news, local
## Senate Race Debate Avoidance
Texas Republicans refuse to debate Senate candidate James Talarico despite repeated invitations.

> of course we’re going to debate
## Paxton's Senate Race
With two weeks left until early voting, Attorney General Ken Paxton has yet to accept any debate invitations.
## Talarico's Debate Activity
Talarico has accepted at least four debate invitations from CNN and local TV stations.
## Paxton's Campaign Silence
Paxton’s campaign has not responded to repeated requests for comment about debate intentions.
## Abbott's Debate History
Governor Greg Abbott debated Democratic opponents in each of his three previous gubernatorial races.
## Hinojosa's Debate Efforts
Gina Hinojosa has repeatedly tried to goad Abbott into a debate despite his campaign silence.

> He’s refusing to debate, trying to hide from his record.
## Debate Strategy Shift
Abbott faces a closer race this cycle, prompting strategic debate considerations.
## Key takeaway

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Governor Greg Abbott have avoided debates with Democratic opponents in the state's most competitive Senate and gubernatorial races.