Former Houston Mayor Bill White and businessman Farouk Shami will square off for the first time Monday night.

The two have traded digs through their political advertisements and in the media, but Monday night will be their first televised debate.

White, the former mayor of Houston, a lawyer, former U.S. deputy energy secretary and oil industry investor, grew up in San Antonio. He was the son of two teachers, according to the Dallas Morning News. White collected about $750,000 in campaign contributions last month, filling a $6.4 million coffer.

Shami made his riches developing a line of chemical-free hair care products and a flat-iron straightening tool, a business he has admitted is worth tens of millions of dollars, according to the Dallas Morning News. Shami has pumped $5 million of his own money into his campaign, half of the $10 million he said he has budgeted for the effort. He has received less than $4,000 in campaign contributions.

Though poll numbers pivoting White against Shami are not available, last week Rasmussen reported that White trails behind the two top Republican gubernatorial candidates, Gov. Rick Perry and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. According to the poll, GOP activist candidate Debra Medina’s support is growing, edging White 38 percent to 41 percent.

"Like other Democrats around the country, White appears to be suffering from his party’s championing of the unpopular national health care plan. In Texas, 39 percent favor the plan, while 57 percent oppose it," according to a January Rasmussen poll.

A democrat has not held the governor’s seat since Ann Richards, from 1990-1994, when George W. Bush took the office. Texas has since been a tough battle ground from Democrats.

As such, White is expected to focus his attacks more on the incumbent, Gov. Perry, than his opponent Shami, who has already attacked White’s record.

Shami accused White of making a racist comment last week. The accusation refers to White’s first Spanish-language campaign ad, in which he says he was born in San Antonio, talks about his upbringing and promises to improve Texas schools.

Shami, a Palestinian who was born outside Jerusalem, reportedly said, "it doesn’t matter where we’re from. I’m a better Texan that he could ever be."

Shami also accused White of discriminating against African-Americans during his term as mayor.

"He is discriminating. He's taking jobs from African-Americans and giving them to his friends," Shami reportedly said.

The Austin American-Statesman fact-checked the claim, giving it its lowest rating "pants on fire".

Despite such attacks, White will likely focus his attention on Perry during the debate on issues such as education.

According to the Dallas Morning News, both candidates have said education has stagnated in Texas since Perry has taken office, and both offer detailed plans to fix schools.

Five other candidates are in the race for the Texas Democratic gubernatorial primary, but only White and Shami were invited to participate in the debate.

Watch the two Democratic candidates' debate from 7- 8 p.m. Monday on News 8. News 8 will air a rebroadcast at 10:30 p.m.