Texas A&M MSC Wiley Lecture Series Invites Paxton and Talarico to Debate

Attorney General and United States Senate candidate Ken Paxton has so far declined all invitations to debate Democratic nominee James Talarico.

Talarico accepted three proposed televised debate dates:

  • NBC/Telemundo/Hearst on September 22 in the Rio Grande Valley
  • WFAA/TEGNA on October 6 in Dallas
  • KXAN/Nexstar on October 13 in Austin

According to organizers from WFAA, the Paxton camp stopped responding to scheduling discussions.

Now, the Memorial Student Center (MSC) Wiley Lecture Series at Texas A&M University hopes to hold a debate between Senate candidates Paxton and Talarico.

Representatives from MSC Wiley announced that they have officially reached out to both campaign teams to extend an invitation. The debate would take place on October 14, 2026, from 7:00 to 8:30pm in Rudder Auditorium, in advance of start of early voting on October 19th.

MSC Wiley says the available U.S. Senate seat is crucial and the group is actively organizing the event to give Texan voters an opportunity to hear directly from both candidates before casting their ballots.

By hosting this event at Texas A&M University, the MSC Wiley Lecture Series aims to bridge the gap between young Texans and their representatives, providing college students with a direct line of engagement to address critical issues such as higher education affordability, workforce entry, and future civic governance. Furthermore, they intend to provide all Texans with written and televised coverage of this significant political event and strengthen civic engagement across generations.

About The MSC Wiley Lecture Series: Broaden the educational experiences of the Texas A&M community by providing thought-provoking programming on national and foreign policy issues. The series is student-led and supported through the generosity of its contributors. For more information, visit wiley.tamu.edu.

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