The first of two statewide debates featured Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, Gov. Rick Perry and former Wharton Co. GOP chair Debra Medina sparring for the Republican party’s nomination for the governor’s office.

 

 

An audience of about 800 attended the debate at the Murchison Performing Arts Center at the University of North Texas in Denton.

 

The debate aired live in all 19 Texas TV markets and on more than 20 Texas radio stations.

 

As a co-sponsor of The Texas Debates, TAB funded the free and unrestricted satellite distribution, closed captioning and real-time Spanish translation of the hour-long debate.

 

Other debate sponsors included KTVT/KTXA-TV Dallas-Fort Worth, KUVN-TV Dallas-Fort Worth, the Texas State Networks, the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

 

There will be at least one more Republican gubernatorial debate this month.

 

 

The decision to include Medina was made Jan. 18 after a new Rasmussen poll put her support at 12 percent with a margin of +/- 3 percent, enough to meet Belo’s 15 percent candidate showing threshold for inclusion in the event.

 

The debate will air live on all four of Belo’s Texas TV stations and will be made available by satellite to other Texas TV stations with some market restrictions.

 

TAB will distribute coordinates to stations as soon as they are received.

 

However, because Belo placed market restrictions on the feed, TAB is not funding the debate’s distribution.

 

Several groups are pushing for a debate between former Houston mayor Bill White and Houston hair-care mogul Farouk Shami, but so far, none has been secured.

 

TAB will keep stations informed of any debate details.