Jan 20, 2008 4:44 pm US/Eastern
Economy, Iraq, Immigration Top 1st District Debate
WYE MILLS, Md. (AP) ―
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Economic worries, Iraq and illegal immigration predominated in a debate Sunday for Maryland's First Congressional District.
CBS
Economic worries, Iraq and illegal immigration predominated in a crowded but congenial debate Sunday for Maryland's First Congressional District.
Seven candidates, four Democrats and three Republicans, shared the stage at Chesapeake College and talked with about 100 voters for an hour and a half.
The candidates didn't question each other and avoided attacks; they spent most of the forum outlining their plans to improve the economy, boost access to health care and address immigration.
The candidates included Rep. Wayne Gilchrest, a nine-term incumbent being challenged by two Republican state senators.
Gilchrest is one of two Republicans to vote last year for a timeline for withdrawal from Iraq, and he used the debate to reassure voters he supports American soldiers.
Gilchrest said he believed the troop surge in Iraq "has been successful" and credited "the stunning competence of the American military."
Gilchrest and several of his rivals mentioned immigration as a national problem and vowed to work in Congress to reduce illegal immigration.
"We've let the borders go haywire," said Republican Robert Joseph Banks, a former orphans' court judge from Baltimore County.
Banks called for "phased-in deportation" of immigrants in the country without permission and concluded, "No amnesty for anyone. It's that simple."
All of the candidates at the debate called for better federal enforcement of immigration laws.
The Democratic front-runner, Queen Anne's County state's attorney Frank Kratovil, called for more federal enforcement against people here illegally.
"We need to make sure whatever we do recognizes we are a nation of immigrants ... but we need to enforce our laws," Kratovil said.
Democrat Joseph Werner took a stronger tack.
"It's destroying our way of life," he said of illegal immigration. "It's not helping us and it's not helping illegals."
Several voters asked the candidates what they planned to do to help the economy. Republican state Sen. Andy Harris said taxes should be cut to boost the economy.
Gilchrest called for more "American ingenuity" to compete globally, along with Social Security and Medicare improvements to help senior citizens struggling to pay the bills.
The only tense moments of the debate came when a voter in the audience told Harris he shouldn't be affiliated with The Club For Growth, a Washington player in Republican politics which advocates free-market, limited government policies.
Harris replied that he was proud to be endorsed by the group, and a moderator successfully quieted the voter, who interrupted Harris several times.
Among the candidates themselves, the tone was friendly and reserved. Kratovil called Gilchrest "a good man," and the candidates spent the crowded debate time talking up their plans, not mentioning their opponents.
"It's all talk," Kratovil concluded at the end of the debate. "The question is, who can get it done?"
Republican state Sen. E.J. Pipkin planned to attend the debate but did not show up because of a scheduling conflict. Pipkin campaign manager Chris Brown said Pipkin's daughter was in a skating competition.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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