Story perspectives

Fox News Launches All-Female Podcast “The Girls” October 1

By Drooid · Sep 30, 2026, 3:12 AM UTC · How we work

Center

Abbott Refuses Debates

Fox News announced an all-female podcast series called The Girls, with its first episode airing on October 1.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott declined four debate invitations from challenger Gina Hinojosa, saying he prefers town-hall meetings.
The episode will feature Rachel Campos-Duffy, Harris Faulkner, Kat Timpf, Samantha Ponder, and Melissa DeRosa.
An NPR/Marist poll released in September shows Gina Hinojosa leading Governor Abbott by three points.

Left

Fox Debate Stalemate

Fox News announced an all-female podcast series The Girls, debuting October 1.
Voters are left without a public forum to compare candidates because the network remained silent on a requested Texas Senate debate.
Democratic Rep. James Talarico voicemail-challenged Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton to a Fox News debate.
Fox News said it would host a debate only if both candidates agreed to appear.
Ken Paxton’s campaign offered no comment on the debate invitation.

Blindspot

Governor Greg Abbott has declined four debate invitations from challenger Gina Hinojosa, citing a preference for town-hall meetings.
Within this story's sources, this angle appears mainly in Center-leaning coverage and receives less attention in Left-leaning coverage.

History

Historical Context

The first televised U.S. presidential debates in 1960, featuring John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon, reshaped campaign communication. Nielsen reported that approximately 70 million Americans watched the September 26 broadcast, a 70 percent viewership share. Today, Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s refusal of four debate invitations from challenger Gina Hinojosa mirrors the modern media-driven pressure on candidates to appear on platforms like Fox News’ new all-female podcast, The Girls. Such avoidance risks limiting voter exposure, echoing concerns from 1960 that televised absences could skew public perception and electoral outcomes.

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Abbott Refuses Debates

Fox News announced an all-female podcast series called The Girls, with its first episode airing on October 1.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott declined four debate invitations from challenger Gina Hinojosa, saying he prefers town-hall meetings.
The episode will feature Rachel Campos-Duffy, Harris Faulkner, Kat Timpf, Samantha Ponder, and Melissa DeRosa.
An NPR/Marist poll released in September shows Gina Hinojosa leading Governor Abbott by three points.

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