Four candidates for U.S. Senate squared off Monday afternoon in a 90-minute debate at the University of Central Arkansas, addressing television ads, health care laws and what they’d do in Washington.
Democrat U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor, Republican Rep. Tom Cotton, Green party candidate Mark Swaney and Libertarian candidate Nathan LaFrance answered panelists
To start out the debate, candidates were asked about negative attack ads airing on television and radio.
“I feel dirty every time I watch one of these ads,” panelist Gwen Mortiz said.
Ads are currently airing on television negatively attacking both Pryor and Cotton, some of which are being paid for by super PACs and outside groups.
“I think a lot of Arkansans are turned off by the negative attack ads, especially from outside groups,” Pryor said. “I’m turned off by the negative ads as well. What you see playing out in your TV screens is a business transaction."
Cotton said he could only control the ads his campaign releases.
“I don’t think Arkansans are ready to vote for Mark Pryor, because that’s a vote for Barack Obama,” Cotton added.
Pryor responded by taking responsibility for the content of his campaign’s television ads, and said he provides documentation for every fact in his advertisements.
“Arkansans deserve honesty when it comes to campaigning,” he said.
LaFrance said he didn't think ads shouldn’t attack opponents, but instead should show voters what one would do as a state senator.
“It’s not fair to the voters who are trying to make an informed decision on election day,” LaFrance said.
Swaney said he believes a candidate is 100 percent responsible for every piece of advertisement the comes from their campaign. He then went on to voice his opinion on the death penalty.
“I am opposed, as the Green Party is opposed, to the death penalty. This has not been discussed much in the Senate race, and when I am lucky enough to be elected into the U.S. Senate, I will work very hard to eliminate the death penalty at the federal system,” Swaney said.
All candidates were asked what they would like to see happen to the Affordable Care Act if they were to be elected into office.
LaFrance said he thought the act should be repealed entirely.
"Health costs are skyrocketing, [and] patient care is plummeting,” LaFrance said.
Swaney argued that it's "better than nothing."
"I have friends of mine and family members who have been unable to visit doctors for serious illnesses for years, and now they’re able to go to the doctor,” Swaney said. “I don’t want to say that the Affordable Care Act is a bad thing. I think it’s a step, but only a step, in the right direction.”
Pryor defended his vote for the law, saying the government "needed to put patients back in charge of their health care."
“Before the Affordable Care Act passed, people in Arkansas were denied insurance because of preexisting conditions,” Pryor said. “We don’t want to go back to those days, and Cotton voted to go back to those days.”
Pryor told a story about a diabetic man he met at church a few weeks ago.
“He said he hadn’t had private health insurance in 15 years, and Cotton wants to take that away from him.”
Cotton responded by saying that Pryor “cast a decisive vote for Obamacare.”
“Obamacare has been a disaster,” he said.
Cotton then told a story about a dentist and his wife who lost their insurance because of the Affordable Care Act.
“People have been told that they can keep their plan if they like their plan,” Cotton said. “We’ve had billions of dollars wasted on a broken website. Pryor always puts Obama first, not Arkansas.”
The debate will be aired at 8 p.m. Monday on AETN.
Read Tuesday’s Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for more on this story.
