U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark., and Democratic challenger Josh Mahony debated which of them better represents the values of Arkansas' 3rd Congressional District during a debate on Monday.
Womack said the debate showed the stark contrast between himself and Mahony, who Womack said would be a "reliable vote for the Pelosi left," supporter of Medicare for all and proponent of higher taxes.
"Or do you want a candidate who's going to up and protect individual freedom, protect the unborn and the Second Amendment and look after and provide oversight and stewardship for the tax dollars you give Washington so that they are properly accounted for in the expense of running the government of the United States," Womack, who chairs the House Budget Committee, said.
Mahony criticized Womack's vote for the American Health Care Act, which partially repealed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and "corporate tax cuts," and he said the budget Womack has helped generate would hurt Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Voters should vote him in to replace Womack, who was first elected in 2010, Mahony said.
"We'll finally have a congressman who's there to fight for the people and not the powerful," Mahony said in his closing statement.
Libertarian Michael Kalagias talked repeatedly about partisan gridlock in Congress, saying that voting for a third party would enable the interests of ordinary people to be better represented. He also criticized both parties for failing to address the rising national debt.
"The Republicans haven't done anything to fix it," he said. "The Democrats haven't done anything to fix it. It doesn't matter which party has been in power, the results have been the same: bad government. We need to do something different."
The debate began with a discussion of the federal budget, and all three candidates said they support having a balanced federal budget.
Mahony said the budget and tax system should be structured in a way that doesn't overly benefit the wealthy or penalize low-income earners. He attacked Womack over what he said were cuts to entitlement programs.
Womack noted that his budget plan would achieve balance over time, but he said entitlement programs must be dealt with.
"If I wanted to cut those programs, I'd do absolutely nothing because they get cut on their own," Womack said. "In 2026, the hospital insurance trust fund goes broke, in 2033-34 Social Security goes broke -- not enough money to pay the benefits. So you have to address the entitlement programs facing this country that continue to grow exponentially without any congressional input whatsoever. If you don't control that form of spending, there's no hope that you'll ever get to achievable balance."
All three candidates said infrastructure improvements were crucial in fast-growing Northwest Arkansas, and Womack and Mahony agreed that the 3rd District congressman should facilitate cooperation between cities, counties and the state.
Mahony interrupted Womack as he spoke at several points throughout the debate, though he was informed that the rules didn't allow for interruptions.
The debate will air on AETN at 9 p.m. today. It was held at the University of Central Arkansas, and the candidates answered questions from three journalists from Northwest Arkansas.
The election, which includes state and federal offices, is Nov. 6.
Metro on 10/09/2018