Texas State University to Host First 2024 Presidential Debate

Reporter Noah Calk

(San Marcos) On September 16^th of 2024 Strahan Arena, commonly known for Bobcats athletic events, will be jam-packed with some of the most notable politicians worldwide. The University was chosen to host the first Presidential Debate of the 2024 general election. It’s the first time a Texas university will host a presidential debate… ever.

“And we want to a make to make sure that not just our campus, but our city, the hill country of Texas, the entire state of Texas is represented well by this opportunity,” said Kelly Damphousse, president of Texas State University.

As an illustration of how big a story this is, more than a thousand media outlets approached the university to cover the story, including interviews on KVUE, the ABC television stations in Austin, where university vice president Eric Algoe talked about the long process to land the debate.

“Several months of effort from a very small team of the right people to put together what ended up being a couple of hundred pages of documentation that explained how we could fulfill what the commission was looking for. That’s akin to a Super Bowl. So, this is a massive undertaking, but they’ve really got it down to the science,” Algoe said.

Texas State will be the first university in the state of Texas ever to host a presidential debate, and it’s the only university in Texas that has graduated a United States President.

“I think just the legacy, the fact that Lyndon Baines Johnson, the great graduate from here, made this an attractive option, as well,” Damphousse said.

Texas State students will have a unique experience watching the debate. Although students won’t have direct access to the event, they’ll be able to view the broadcast from the same facility that basketball games and graduation are held in.

“I think the debate will get students more involved,” said Alana Anthony, a Texas State student. “The students here have always been pretty into standing up for what they believe in, and especially with all the turmoil and political things going on right now, I definitely think students will show up.”

Bobcat Bulletin will be back in September to see which candidates will be debating in the arena.