Add Tyler To The List Of Texas Cities Seeking A Presidential Debate

Via the Tyler Morning Telegraph, we can add Tyler to the list of Texas cities coveting a presidential debate:

The League of Women Voters of Tyler/Smith County said today it has invited candidates in the March 4 presidential primary to debate in Tyler.

“We have extended the invitation to both Republican and Democratic candidates for an opportunity to take part in a debate to be televised live before live audiences and aired in primetime by CBS-19, KTYX,” said LWV-TSC President Dee Brock. “If candidates in either party were to accept, the event or events would be held at the Cowan Center on the UT Tyler campus.”

Brock said that March 1 is one projected debate date, which would fall only three days before the Texas primary.

Brock added that the League is making a case to the candidates through their campaign staffs.

“We know that East Texas votes often have affected the final outcome in Texas elections. And this is, after all, the real grassroots county. Also, we have a diverse electorate, with a higher percent-age of African-American voters than the statewide percentage,” Brock said.

“Whether these factors are strong enough to bring candidates here is still uncertain, but it is clear that they cannot ignore our part of the state.”

The campaigns have been asked to respond by Friday.

Tyler, a nice sized media market, would be a great city and quite a departure from other cities where debates have been held. With the loss of hundreds of employees there due to Goodyear’s outsourcing, it would also be a meaningful location. However, the Cowan Center is pretty large and I suspect the candidates may be concerned about such a large audience. Who knows?

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