Democratic Congressional Candidate Patricia Ackerman and Republican Incumbent Congressman Mark Amodei battled it out on the debate stage Friday night. The League of Women Voters of Northern Nevada held a candidate forum in Carson City. No audience was allowed, but the candidates had their first chance to debate face to face.
"Mark failed," said Ackerman. "If you'd finished your research, you'd see that I voted for a matter out of appropriations," said Amodei. The first debate between Republican Congressman Mark Amodei and the Democrat Patrician Ackerman, the challenger for his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, had a few tense moments. The two candidates took much different approaches, with Ackerman attacking Amodei's record and him defending it.
"There's so much ammo if you will. I don't like using that word, because it sounds like it's attacking, but I have to address that record. There's a lot that's there," said Ackerman. "When you have a record and you don't, in order to prevail, you have to say the person who has been doing the job is not worthy of your support," said Amodei.
Health care and unemployment were two of the issues that dominated the discussion. They also talked about post office funding, the environment, and renewable energy.
"It's been over politicized. We need to understand where we are in the cycle, what are doing to contribute to it, and what we can do to minimize it," said Amodei as he discussed global warming.
"Renewable energy is where we are going to have the biggest impact when it comes to diversifying our economy," said Ackerman as she discussed the environment and renewable energy.
The coronavirus pandemic and jobs were other hot topics.
"Now we are following up on the oversight to make sure the money that is supposed to go to clinics got there, the money supposed to go to PPE got there. and the money is supposed to go to state and local governments got there," said Amodei about COVID funding and the CARES Act.
"We don't have a very diverse economy in Nevada. Because of structure of Nevada we have the opportunity to create the infrastructure to create a minimum of 13,000 jobs," said Ackerman as she talked about creating jobs during the pandemic.
Both candidates hoped they connected with voters.
"I'm authentic and I'm not a politician," said Ackerman.
"You try to tell people the truth and be transparent about it. I'm hoping that's what people got out of what I said," said Amodei.
Amodei and Ackerman will be holding at least one other debate before election day.
