Texas CD-23 candidates face off in debate

Republican Tony Gonzales and Democrat Gina Ortiz Jones debate will be moderated by Steve Spriester

Democrat Gina Ortiz Jones and Republican Tony Gonzales are candidates for Texas' Congressional District 23. (Illustration by Henry Keller/KSAT)

Editor’s note: Find live coverage of the debate here.

Democrat Gina Ortiz Jones was so close in 2018, she went through new representative orientation on Capitol Hill, got her picture taken with new members, but ultimately she would lose to then-incumbent Will Hurd by less than 1,000 votes in Texas Congressional District 23.

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If Republican Tony Gonzales has his way this year, Jones would come up short again. But with Congressman Will Hurd not running for reelection, there are renewed hopes by national Democrats that Jones will go from close to a bona fide member of Congress.

Where do they stand on the issues?

Tonight, that question will be answered. KSAT is hosting a debate from the heart of CD-23, at Southwest Texas Junior College in Uvalde.

Read more about the race:

The hour-long debate will air live on KSAT, KSAT.com and all of KSAT’s free streaming platforms starting at 7 p.m. Southwest Texas Junior College and Sul Ross State University are the hosts, and KSAT’s Steve Spriester will be the moderator.

We want our viewers to weigh in on the issues they want to hear about from the candidates.

Submit questions that you’d like to hear the candidates answer in the prompt below.

In a race where the margin is usually razor-thin, debates can make the difference. Join us on Thursday, October 8.

Read more about the race for CD-23 here.

And, for more election news and key races, visit KSAT’s Vote 2020 page or sign up for our free election newsletter.


About the Author:

Steve Spriester started at KSAT in 1995 as a general assignments reporter. Now, he anchors the station's top-rated 5, 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts.