Incumbent Republican Sen. Richard Burr faced off against Democratic challenger Secretary of State Elaine Marshall and Libertarian candidate Michael Beitler in the second of three televised debates last night in Raleigh.
In the exchange, which was hosted by NBC-17 and sponsored by the North Carolina League of Women Voters, the three candidates explained their positions and traded barbs on a variety of issues that ranged from health care to the U.S. military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, which was recently discontinued by a federal judge’s injunction. The debate, spurred by questions sent in by North Carolina residents, was most heated when the subject turned to the economy.
Whereas Beitler sought to cast himself as a sensible third-party alternative to his opponents, Burr and Marshall repeatedly attacked each other’s visions for economic recovery.
Marshall confronted Burr about his vote against Wall Street reform and suggested that it was influenced by special interest groups.
“He receives millions of dollars in contributions from Wall Street—the people who got the bonuses,” she said. “The lobbyists go around and talk to the senators and get their little loopholes.”
Burr countered by criticizing Marshall for supporting increased government spending, which he claimed would swell the deficit and endanger long-term fiscal health.
“We’re broke,” he said. “It’s time we say enough is enough. We’ve got to stop spending.”
Burr also harshly criticized Marshall’s support of the recent health care overhaul, arguing that its costs are unsustainable.
“[It is] a start,” Marshall responded. “We now have the opportunity for more people to have health care. I’m willing to work out the kinks on this.”
Although Beitler and Marshall both said they supported repealing “don’t ask, don’t tell,” Burr cautioned against a major policy change during wartime.
Standing between the two mainstream candidates, Beitler decried the two-party system and repeatedly accused Congress of “cronyism.” He also attempted to distinguish himself from his opponents by calling himself the only “true fiscal conservative” and the only “true anti-war candidate” in the race.
To voters who might have dismissed him as a viable candidate and plan on choosing only between Burr and Marshall, Beitler said, “If you want more of the same, you can flip a coin and get more of the same.”
Both the Duke Democrats and the Duke College Republicans are gearing up to garner support for their candidates this election season.
DCR Chief of Staff Rachel Provost said the organization was holding a meeting tonight to discuss its plans to get students to the polls.
In the meantime, she said, “We’re having a phone banking session for Senator Burr [this] evening from 5 to 8 [p.m.] on West Campus.”
Although polls predict that Burr will safely win re-election, Duke Democrats President Ben Bergmann, a senior, said North Carolina’s early voting laws—which allow residents to register and vote on the same day, effective today until Oct. 30—give the race an element of unpredictability.
“That said,” Bergmann noted, “things don’t look terribly great for Elaine or Democrats across the country.”
Still, Bergmann stressed that Duke Democrats would continue to canvass around campus and register students for early voting. He added that the club plans on providing students with transportation to the polls throughout early voting and on Election Day, Nov. 2.
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