KHOU To Air Mayoral Debate On Oct. 17

Tegna-owned CBS affiliate KHOU Houston (DMA 10) along with Houston Public Media and Free Press Houston are bringing seven of Houston’s mayoral candidates to the stage for HOU Decide: The Final Debate, airing live at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, on KHOU.

This debate will give Houstonians a final chance to hear the contenders square off before early voting begins on Monday, Oct. 19.

“We’re making a special effort to reach younger voters with a lively format,” said KHOU  Executive News Director Philip Bruce. “It’ll encourage the candidates to collect their thoughts and answer questions quickly and directly. We’re not allowing room for filibustering.”      

Chris Bell, Steve Costello, Adrian Garcia, Ben Hall, Bill King, Marty McVey and Sylvester Turner have all agreed to participate in the debate. Topics addressed will include public safety, traffic, the city’s pension problem and education.

HOU Decide: The Final Debate will be moderated by KHOU anchor Greg Hurst, while KHOU reporter Doug Miller, Free Press Houston’s Omar Afra and Houston Public Media’s Laurie Johnson will serve on a panel curating questions for the candidates. The public is invited to submit their questions for consideration via social media using the hashtag #HOUDecide.

In addition to airing on KHOU, the debate may be viewed on KHOU.com, KHOU’s social media pages as well as each partner’s social media pages. The debate will also be broadcast on KUHF-FM at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18.

Although many Texans vote early (the state allows it to make the process more accessible), the race won’t be called until Election Day, Nov. 3. There are a number of other scheduled debates leading up to that date.