Ted Cruz vs. Beto O’Rourke Debate Schedule: When Are the Three Debates?

Ted Cruz vs Beto O'Rourke

Getty Ted Cruz vs Beto O'Rourke

Ted Cruz and Beto O’Rourke have agreed to three debates, and the first one is coming up fast. Here’s a quick recap of when their three debates are taking place.


The First Debate Is This Friday at 6 p.m. Central

The first debate is this Friday, September 21, at McFarlin Auditorium at SMU in Dallas, Texas. The debate will begin at 6 p.m. Central and last for one hour. This moderated debate will cover domestic policy. O’Rourke and Cruz will be given 90 seconds to answer questions and 60 seconds for a response, plus 30 seconds for a rebuttal to the response.

This debate will be streamed at NBCDFW.com and DallasNews.com, and it will also be held in front of a live audience. It will be aired live on NBC 5 and KXAN.

The panelists for this debate are Julie Fine, NBC 5 political reporter, and Gromer Jeffers, Dallas Morning News political writer.

During this debate, Cruz and O’Rourke will stand at podiums in front of an audience of 240 people.


The Second Debate Is Sunday, September 30 at the University of Houston at 6 p.m. Central

The second debate is scheduled for Sunday, September 30 at the University of Houston at 6 p.m. Central. It will last for one hour and the debate will be televised. The debate is being hosted by ABC 13 and Univision 45. You can submit questions for the candidates here.

This debate will be  town-hall style and it will focus on domestic policy. The debate will be before an audience of about 250 people.  It will be streamed live at ABC13.com and televised on ABC 13 and Univision. The exact location of the debate has not yet been finalized.


The Third Cruz vs. Beto Debate Is Tuesday, October 16 in San Antonio

Finally, the third debate is scheduled for Tuesday, October 16 in San Antonio. This one will be broadcast live before a TV studio audience. The time has not yet been announced. This debate will feature the candidates’ standing at podiums again, in front of an audience of 120. The debate will be split between domestic and foreign policy.

READ NEXT: Why are the results of Beto and Cruz’s latest polls so different? Learn more about the polls here.