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US representative Lloyd Smucker and his opponent Jess King clashed Monday night in a heated debate in which candidates repeatedly looked at their respective policies, campaigns and goals. levels of experience.
Smucker, offering a rigorous and economically focused defense of his only congressional mandate, has imposed himself.
According to his introductory remarks claiming that King supports "less freedom" and a "socialist agenda," the Republican in place has often criticized his opponent for his support for Medicare for all health care and the salary that he has. she collects with her campaign funds.
And King, the Democrat who led an aggressive grassroots campaign to overthrow the heavily Republican district, retaliated – systematically shutting down his activities by denigrating the "special interests" of companies that affect everything from gun reform to climate policy.
The 90-minute forum held at the University of Millersville allowed 11th Congress voters to establish their first chance to see the candidates face off before the November 6 elections.
It was organized by LNP Media Group, the Lancaster Chamber and the Center for Civic Responsibility and Leadership Robert S. and Sue Walker of MU. Moderators were Barbara Hough Roda, Community Liaison Officer for NL and LancasterOnline, and Tom Baldrige, President and CEO of the Lancaster Chamber.
See the replay here and read more below.
Debate on the financing of the campaign
Smucker, 54, of West Lampeter Township, is seeking to qualify for his second term against King, 44, of Lancaster, in the district that has been redesigned this year to include all of Lancaster County and South York County.
With cutting, the historically Republican seat now contains even more GOP voters, about 100,000 more than the Democrats.
And in a race in which candidates have often spoken of the "values" of voters, candidates on Monday exchanged sometimes harsh words on the platform that best represents these values.
"What does a San Francisco socialist know about our values here in the 11th district of Pennsylvania?" Asked Smucker, referring to a significant portion of King's campaign funds from computer scientists in Silicon Valley.
He also mentioned federal complaints recently filed by the Republican party in the state, alleging violations of campaign funding on behalf of his campaign and Lancaster Stands Up, a separate local group. Smucker, however, while talking about LSU as a "super PAC", falsely implicated that the complaint was about the fact that LSU did not disclose its donors. The complaint focused instead on the independent costs incurred by LSUs to support King, as indicated by the LNP in mid-September.
King said his campaign was receiving more contributions from states than Smucker and that she was not taking money from corporate political action committees. Her supporters of Silicon Valley, she retorted, are not the leaders of companies like Google or Apple; it is the workers who are frustrated by the way their companies direct political spending.
"Throwing darts at people, throwing smears on people, it's very dishonest," King said.
When Smucker blamed King for being paid a salary with his campaign funds, the Democrat said that she was proud to "chart the way" by giving the example of one. a person belonging to an "ordinary working family" who was going to Congress.
Health care and taxes
On topics such as health care and tax cuts, candidates have disagreed.
Smucker said the tax cuts imposed by the GoP passed last year led to a booming economy with "more wealth than ever before in the history of the world" and a shortage of workers instead of a shortage of jobs.
Economic immobility is one of the main reasons she decided last year to step down as Lancaster's non-profit economic development asset manager and run for Congress.
"It never affects," she said of corporate benefits from tax cuts. "We are the most unequal rich country on Earth."
In the discussion of taxes and health care, Smucker alleged that King wanted to raise taxes to fund larger government programs. When King said that she never talked about raising taxes, Smucker said her programs would double taxes. For the most part, the single-payer health system, which many believe would be costly to implement.
According to King, studies have shown that the implementation of Medicare-for-all, even at a price of $ 32 trillion, would cost less than the current health system over the same period.
"It will not happen overnight because it represents 18% of our (gross domestic product), but we must get Medicare for all; We need to move to a single payer system because it is the only effective way to ensure everyone has health care coverage, "she said.
Smucker reiterated his own long-standing position: "Everyone should have access to the health care they deserve, to the insurance they need and at an affordable price for them." The best way to do this, he said, is to compete with insurance companies and private providers.
Firearms and Immigration
In conversations about topics such as firearms and immigration policies, candidates also had heated exchanges and at least a moment of lightness.
Smucker stated that King wanted to abolish the immigration and customs enforcement procedures, but that she never took that position.
King said that Smucker should hold the National Rifle Association accountable for failing to support stricter requirements in background checks for the purchase of firearms, and Smucker responded that he was in favor of strengthening the background check.
In the midst of cuts imposed by the Trump government regarding the acceptance of refugees in the country, King said Lancaster County should support the resettlement of refugees and beneficiaries of the deferred action program for the arrivals of refugees. # 39; children. Smucker said Congress must first address border issues before addressing other immigration issues.
"My ancestors in this country were Amish and Mennonite religious refugees two hundred years ago. Like yours, "King said, turning to Smucker. "So, we are, like, distantly connected."
Moments later, Smucker referred to his double Republican opponent, Chet Beiler, who was also his first cousin: "It's funny, for some reason, I feel like all my opponents are parents. "
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