Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., and Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton sparred over President Donald Trump, immigration, Iran, transgender athletes, artificial intelligence and personal controversies during a contentious Kansas Senate debate Wednesday night.
The hour-long showdown came less than two weeks before Election Day as Marshall seeks a second term and Hamilton, a longtime pastor, tries to become the first Democrat elected to the from Kansas since 1932.
The race has drawn increased national attention as Republicans and Democrats battle for control of the Senate, with Trump earlier this week to campaign for Marshall â a topic touched on during the debate.
Here are five moments that stood out from Wednesday night’s debate.
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The debate wasted little time getting contentious, opening with questions about against both candidates.
Marshall was confronted with a New York Times review that found sued more than 700 patients over unpaid bills.
“Every year we gave away $3 to $4 million of charity, but we also had a business,” Marshall responded. “We had 300 employees, we had a mortgage payment, we had electric.”
Hamilton, meanwhile, was questioned about his handling of allegations involving a volunteer at his church’s summer camp who was accused of sexual abuse.
Hamilton acknowledged that he should have ensured the individual did not return to the camp following an initial investigation.
“I should have checked to make sure that he wasn’t going back,” Hamilton said. “That was a mistake on my part.”
Trump became part of the debate after moderators played footage from the president’s campaign appearance for Marshall in Kansas earlier in the week.
“And at this election, I’m asking you to pretend, please, that I’m on the ballot. Just pretend,” Trump told the crowd.
Marshall was then asked whether Trump’s support meant Kansans should expect him to back every part of the president’s agenda.
“No,” Marshall responded, saying there had been “multiple times” when he objected to Trump.
Pressed to identify a specific disagreement, Marshall pointed to recent immigration enforcement in southwest Kansas and Trump’s approach to beef imports.
“Just like with my wife, I can disagree with her. My wife is always right,” Marshall joked. “And President Trump is not always right.”
Marshall nevertheless urged Trump voters to turn out for him, arguing that electing Hamilton could help Democrats capture the Senate.
The two rivals found themselves in agreement when the moderator asked each candidate how many genders there are.
“There’s two. There’s a boy and there’s a girl,” Marshall said. “I delivered 5,000 of them and almost half were boys and half were girls.”
“There are two genders, ” Hamilton responded.
The candidates then turned to the debate over transgender participation in women’s sports.
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