NEWARK—The atmosphere was lively and the candidates were passionate yet respectful in Wednesday night's debate for Delaware's lone seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Democrat John Carney and Republican Glen Urquhart staked out clear and mostly contrasting views in the televised 90-minute debate, presented by Delaware First Media and the University of Delaware's Center for Political Communication. The event was the first of two congressional contests in the Delaware Debates 2010 series. (The U.S. Senate debate between Chris Coons and Christine O'Donnell takes place on Oct. 13.)
The Carney-Urquhart faceoff drew more than 500 attendees to the University of Delaware's Mitchell Hall. They listened to the House candidates field a broad range of questions on topics including taxes, health care, alternative energy, military preparedness, and terrorism. Questions came from the debate moderator, Delaware First Media's Nancy Karibjanian, and from UD students appearing on pre-recorded video.
Urquhart immediately faced a question about whether he is a tea party candidate. After deflecting the question to talk about jobs, he later said he is "not necessarily a tea party candidate" but would welcome tea party supporters.
Jason Mykoff, an associate professor of political science at the University of Delaware, says Urquhart appeared to be caught "a little off-guard" by the tea party question.
Carney described himself as a "loyal Democrat.” But asked whether such a position would be effective in changing a Washington atmosphere polarized along party lines, Carney said, "You have to find like-minded individuals who are serving in the Congress that you can work with to work on problems. One of the biggest problems that we have right now in Washington, D.C., is that the Republicans are thinking only about their own political advantage—and the Democrats the same way, too often."
Carney pointed out one difference between himself and the majority of Democrats in Washington: He supports a temporary extension of the Bush tax cuts for "two, maybe three years," while Democrats and Republicans work on "a comprehensive plan to get our deficits and national debt under control in the long term."
Urquhart favors making the tax cuts permanent. "There are no capital gains taxes at all in the former Soviet Union—in Russia of all places," Urquhart said. "Businesses will thrive when we have stable, permanent tax cuts. We will add millions and millions of jobs."
A question about the government's proper role in job creation drew stark contrasts between the candidates. Urquhart repeatedly called government "the problem, not the solution," saying that high taxes prevent employers from creating jobs.
Carney expressed his support for making more capital available to small businesses. "We need to make things here in America," he said.
The candidates sparred briefly over Carney's role in the Minner administration, as finance secretary and lieutenant governor. Their views on national defense and security also generated conflict. Urquhart cited growing foreign threats in calling for expanded spending on missile defense and interceptor technology. Carney called for an approach that is "strong but smart," with an extensive diplomatic component.
University of Delaware political science professor David Wilson doesn't think the 90-minute exchange produced a clear winner. "They both made some very good points," Wilson said. "They were able to say what they stood for and give some impression of their candidacy."
Wilson noted that Urquhart, who trails in the latest polls by double digits, did not make a move to moderate his positions—something Wilson believes he must do “if he wants to make any inroads in a state that is majority Democrat.”
