Stewart, Kaine Swap Free Kicks During First Senate Debate | New

The striking political differences between outgoing US Senator Tim Kaine and his fighting Republican challenger Corey Stewart were on full screen Saturday in their first official debate before the Nov. 6 elections.

During the 90-minute contest, Stewart Kaine repeatedly accused Kaine of being "too liberal and too weak" and "doing nothing for Virginia," while Kaine countered that Stewart's strategy seemed to be: "Make it mean, personalize it". response to many of Stewart's statements.

Stewart, who has been Chairman of the Prince William Supervisory Board since 2006 and served as President of President Donald Trump's campaign in Virginia until he was fired several months before the election. 2016 for organizing a protest outside the Republican seat in Washington. The name of the president was raised several times during the event, repeatedly accusing Kaine of opposing "everything the president does".

Stewart even played the role of a Trump sidekick. Stewart wore a navy blue suit and a solid red tie. Kaine, meanwhile, wore a dark suit, a light blue shirt and a striped green tie.

In response to Stewart's allegation, Kaine says that he supported Trump on some things and called Stewart a "100% Trump-first guy,"

The two men clashed at the annual meeting of the Virginia Bar Association at the Omni Homestead Resort in Bath County, about 215 miles southwest of Washington, DC 19659007 Judy Woodruff, Senior Journalist and Facilitator and Editor-in-Chief from PBS News Hour, asked questions on a wide range of issues, including the economy, tariffs and trade policy, the federal deficit and debt, health care prices and drugs. ordinance, immigration, military spending, energy policy, the Mueller Inquiry, and US relations with Russia and the European Union and whether our ally or our adversary is our ally or not.

Kaine: Stewart "makes him mean" [19659002] Woodruff also invites candidates to ask questions, Kaine asked Stewart why he skipped a meeting of the Prince William Supervisory Council in December 2017 to campaign for GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore, who been accused of making badual advances to several teenagers.

Stewart retorted by asking Kaine if former first lady Hillary Clinton had forced her to give up her support for off-shore oil drilling and her opposition to late abortion.

Kaine took Stewart's question as his first opportunity to repeat a phrase that he repeated several times during the debate, sometimes booing what looked like a friendly crowd of Stewart.

Kaine said that he was expecting Stewart "[traduction libre] Kaine said that he was initially open to offshore drilling exploration in Virginia, but that He changed his mind after the BP oil spill in 2010. disaster and after the US military said his opposition to the idea. Kaine also said that he had voted against a bill banning late abortion because it was unconstitutional.

For his part, Stewart did not immediately answer the question of his campaign for Moore but asked Kaine why he years "as governor of Virginia.

On abortion, Stewart acknowledged his support for overthrowing Roe v. Wade, saying, "If Roe is overthrown, which I believe it should be because it was wrongly decided, [abortion rights] should return to the states [19659002] Kaine said that he lives according to his "catholic teachings" Catholic but added, "I do not think that my job as an elected one involves criminalizing women for exercising their own reproductive choices. "

Stewart: Later in the debate, when Woodruff pressed him about Moore, Stewart said he was" disturbed "that the charges against Moore were based on "allegations of 40 years."

"In this country, you are innocent until you are re known guilty, "Stewart said. "What happened there, it's the left and the media just badumed that he was guilty … I think it's wrong."

In response to a question from Woodruff on other controversial figures that Stewart has been badociated with for the past two years. including Jason Kessler, who organized the 2017 murderous rally Unite the Right; Wisconsin Congress Candidate "pro-white" Paul Nehlen; and Richard Hines, a leader of a neo-Confederate group who supported Stewart for the governor at the "Old South Ball" 2017 – Stewart responded by saying that he had been raised to believe that "all people are equal "and added," There is no "

Stewart went on to say that he was meeting" hundreds of people "and that he" disavowed them "every time we meet someone like that.

But Kaine replied by saying that it was Stewart who they searched for Kessler and Nehlen, "not the opposite."

"It was obvious who was Jason Kessler, and it was not Jason Kessler who went to Corey's events," Kaine said. "No, Corey went to the events of Jason Kessler, the architect of this horrific tragedy in Charlottesville that led to the death of a paralegal, which led to the death of two state soldiers whom I knew, who caused horrible injuries. "

Stewart also sought to reverse the situation on Kaine, questioning his badociation with Leslie Cockburn, a former journalist who is now the Democratic candidate for the 5th Congressional Seat of Virginia .

Stewart accused Cockburn of being an "anti-Semite" who "congratulated Saddam Hussein for attacking Israel" with Scud missiles and "killing Israeli children". Stewart also accused Kaine of referring to "people like me" who "support Confederate monuments". , who speak of "criminal illegal immigrants" as "racist".

"People get tired of it, and they get tired of it," said Stewart. "And frankly, that's why President Trump won."

Kaine responded by repeating his slogan again – "make it mean, make it personal and invent" – and then told Stewart to check the record. "I never call racist people, Corey, unless they're white supremacists," says Kaine.

When Stewart pressed him again about Cockburn, Kaine recognized that Cockburn had written a book "Criticizing Israeli Foreign Policy." This makes her anti-Semitic.

Kaine added that he was not "in agreement with all the views of foreign policy," adding, "Saying that his views on foreign policy are making it". She is an antisemit is a slanderous accusation that is simply not true. " [19659002] Stewart: Trump is "standing in front of the Russians."

During a discussion on Russia and Vladimir Putin, Stewart drew gasps from the crowd when he said: "We finally have a permanent president Kaine retorted saying that Stewart" was a sidekick Trump "who repeats in private the badertion of the President that the investigation of the lawyer Robert Mueller on the interference of Russia in the interference of the Russians. 2016 election is a "witch hunt."

"If there is anything that demonstrates the difference between us it's Corey Stewart who gets up here and who says President Trump does against the Russians, "said Kaine." President Trump is giving in to the Russians. President Trump went to fight with allies: Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, but when he was on a stage and next to Vladimir Putin, that the Republican establishment of national security accused of attacking our elections, he became limp. "

When Woodruff asked Stewart about believing that Mueller's investigation was" a witch hunt, "Stewart replied," Frankly. "

Stewart continued to accuse Kaine of voting against a military pay increase." Kaine countered by noting that his son is an infantry commander in the Marine Corps, adding, "I support the military. army with my flesh and my blood. "

And Kaine said that he launched Stewart's efforts:" Obama is a disaster "

Stewart labeled" ObamaCare ", officially called the" 39 " Affordable Care Act, a "disaster", and says "few" can say that their health care has improved "since the adoption of the law in 2014.

Kaine has opposed the law prohibiting companies from Insurance to exclude people for pre-existing conditions and allows young adults to stay on their parents' policies until age 26. 19659002] Stewart admitted that he was also in agreement with these aspects of the law, calling them among the "few things I support" in the federal health bill

.

Kaine noted that Stewart opposed the Medicaid expansion in Virginia and accused him of "taking to heart the destruction" of Medicaid.

Kaine mentioned his support for "Medicare X," a proposal to allow Americans to buy a "Medicare-type policy if they want it."

In response, Stewart said Medicaid, the federal and state-supported "Senator Kaine seems to think that all solutions come from Washington," Stewart added, adding that the health care program for the poor "failed" and described it as "very inefficient"

.

No reduction in social security

Social security is the subject on which the candidates have reached an agreement. Kaine said the program should be "backed up" by doing "significant things, like adjusting the social security ceiling for social security."

"This would help us maintain the solvency of these programs."

Stewart stated that he would not advocate cuts for social security or health insurance.

Social Security, Stewart said: "It's a pension fund, it's not a social welfare."

", added Stewart." No cuts for Medicaid or Social Security. "

Reach Jill Palermo at [email protected].