Democratic congressional candidate Michelle Vallejo is challenging her Republican counterpart Monica De La Cruz to a series of debates in the lead up to the midterm elections in November.

Vallejo wants to engage De La Cruz in three debates that are sponsored by nonpartisan local media outlets or civic organizations, her campaign announced in a news release Thursday.

“South Texas is at a crossroads, and voters in Texas’ 15th Congressional District need to know exactly where the candidates in this race stand on crucial issues like affordable health care, reproductive rights, lowering costs and protecting Social Security and Medicare,” Vallejo said in the release.

“After spending many years working long days at my family’s pulga, I know the struggles facing working families across the Rio Grande Valley,” Vallejo continued. “Unlike Monica De La Cruz, I will put hard-working families ahead of the big corporations funding her campaign. I look forward to these debates and hope to see her there.”

De La Cruz’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

A representative for Futuro RGV said their organization is planning a candidate forum on Sept. 17 to which Vallejo agreed to attend remotely. An invitation was also extended to De La Cruz.

Vallejo, a progressive, is running to keep District 15 in the Democrat’s column, while De La Cruz, a Trump-backed Republican candidate, is hoping to flip the district red.

The likelihood that she’ll succeed is high after congressional redistricting shifted the composition of the area to favor Republicans. But even before those changes, De La Cruz came close to defeating U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez when she first ran for the District 15 seat in 2020.

Throughout her campaign this year, De La Cruz reported receiving more than $2.5 million in contributions and reported more than $2.3 million in total disbursements, including $2.2 million in operating expenses.

Vallejo reported receiving $533,838 in total contributions and a total of $540,643 in disbursements, including $539,091 in operating expenses, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with new information.