The selection of Texas State University to host one of the three presidential debates planned for next year caught some by surprise. It was not that schools such as Texas A&M University, the University of Texas at Austin, Texas Tech University or Rice University are more well-known; rather, it's that Texas is not the kind of political battleground that has sometimes been chosen to host a debate.

What You Need To Know

  • Texas State University will host the first in a series of general presidential election debates in 2024

  • Officials with the Commission on Presidential Debates say they consider geography, but not the politics of locations and selected Texas State for a number of factors including the enthusiasm of the staff 

  • Some political analysts say while Texas is not considered competitive in presidential politics, the state is home to a fast-growing Latino population and can serve as a vehicle to highlight key campaign issues 

  • What is not settled is whether any candidates will attend

Texas State is the only university in the Lone Star State to send a graduate to the White House — Lyndon B. Johnson. Now, it has been designated to host the first presidential debate ever in Texas.

“They saw the value of that as well, and also saw the value of having a school like Texas State, which looks so much like the state of Texas, represent Texas in this process. Not just our history of Lyndon Baines Johnson, but also the kinds of students who come here,” said Kelly Damphousse, president of Texas State University.

Texas State is located in San Marcos, a fast-growing suburb located halfway between Austin and San Antonio. University officials said it has the capacity to host visitors from around the world, and that they would have ample hotel and airport options. 

“We’ll see significant increase in business during the weeks leading up to the event and the night of the event itself. But there will be costs borne by the university,” Damphousse said.  “We are planning on this being probably one of the biggest events on our campus in history, probably in the in our town as well. We're prepared for it.”

Political analysts, though, say the choice is still somewhat surprising given that some recent debates have been held in politically competitive states.

“Texas is not seen as being a particularly competitive state in presidential politics. It certainly continues to lean Republican. On the other hand, however, Texas has one of the fastest-growing Latino populations in the country and Hispanic voters are going to be a key constituency in the 2024 election,” said Matthew Wilson, political science professor at Southern Methodist University.  

Wilson also said since Texas is a border state, it will serve as a vehicle to address the immigration issue.

“Certainly that will be a key focus of the debate held here in the state of Texas,” he said. “Of course, the conditions of the economy are going to be a central focus in the fall campaign. So, Texas as a setting makes sense to highlight some of the issues that are most on voters’ minds as we move into the presidential campaign.”

Officials with the Commission on Presidential Debates say they consider geography when choosing debate locations, but not the politics of locations.

The commission’s co-chairman, Frank Fahrenkopf, said “politics is not involved in anything that we do” and added that Texas State had a lot going for its application to host.

“We liked the facilities. We were very, very impressed by the staff of the university, the enthusiasm that was there, the fact that there's never been a debate in Texas, so there were a lot of reasons,” Fahrenkopf told Spectrum News. “From a technical standpoint, it was a great choice.”

In addition to Texas, the debate commission also selected another red state, Utah, and a blue-leaning state, Virginia, for the other two planned presidential debates next year. What is not settled is whether any candidates will attend.

Neither former President Donald Trump nor President Joe Biden, the front runners for the Republican and Democratic nominations, has committed to debate next year.

Fahrenkopf said the commission only deals with candidates who have been officially nominated and meet the requirements constitutionally. He was the chair of the Republican National Committee during the Reagan administration.

“The current group, they’ve said that they don't like our debates because they didn't think we were fair last time, and therefore they were withdrawing from the Commission on Presidential Debates. My answer is how can you withdraw from something you never belong to?” Fahrenkopf said. “We have no connection, no relationship with the Republican National Committee, the Democratic National Committee, the libertarians who will be on the ballot in most states, and the Green Party, which will be on a ballot in most states.”

When asked what the significance is if candidates ultimately choose not to participate, Fahrenkopf said, “The American people are losing the ability to see the two people on the stage. “

“Getting, hopefully clearly, where the particular candidates stand on the issues that are important to the public, but they also get a perception of the candidate, the candidate's character, how he handled him, or she handles themselves on camera, under pressure,” he continued.

It would not be the first time there was not a general election debate. Johnson refused to debate Republican nominee Sen. Barry Goldwater of Arizona in 1964.