Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas has proposed five debates with his Democratic opponent, Rep. Beto O’Rourke, The Texas Tribune is reporting.
His proposal comes about three months after O’Rourke had challenged him to six debates, according to the Tribune.
Cruz strategist Jeff Roe, in a letter to O’Rourke on Wednesday, detailed the proposed debates and topics. He said they would be scheduled between Aug. 31 and Oct. 12 and cover a range of topics from healthcare to taxes to immigration.
The debates would last an hour and vary in format, the Tribune reported. Some would be town hall style and others would feature the two candidates at podiums.
"As Senator Cruz has long believed, our democratic process is best served by presenting a clear and substantive contrast of competing policy ideas, and these five debates will be an excellent way for both you and the Senator to share your respective visions with Texas voters in the weeks leading up to the November election," Roe wrote to O'Rourke.
O’Rourke responded: "I am encouraged that Sen. Cruz has decided that he’s ready to debate the issues. Our campaign looks forward to working with his campaign to finalize mutually agreed upon details."
A University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll earlier this month showed Cruz leading O’Rourke 41 percent to 36 percent.
Seventeen percent said they had not thought enough about the race to have a preference.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.