By Carrie Pond
Gilbertsville, KY – Kentucky's U.S. Senate race has garnered national attention as polls show the race tightening to almost dead even. Republican incumbent Mitch McConnell and his Democratic challenger Bruce Lunsford met at Kentucky Dam Village on Thursday for a final battle of wits before the November 4th election.
The debate lasted little over an hour and covered a variety of topics, ranging from the economy and national security to energy independence and the region's waterways. The contrasts between the two candidates were stark, but McConnell contends the most important difference is his clout as Senate minority leader.
"There's really only one issue in this campaign and that's the next six years and who can do the most for KY. And it simply cannot be argued with an ounce of persuasion that a rookie a few years younger than I, going to the Senate can have much of an impact for a very long time."
Lunsford argues that seniority doesn't matter when it's used to create bad policy. The democratic challenger claims the cost of McConnell's policy decisions outweigh the benefits of the $500 million in federal earmarks he claims to have obtained over the years.
"He says it's 500 which we know isn't accurate, but let's say that's 120 dollars per person. You're still paying 1800 in taxes, you're still paying 1400 for your share of the debt, you're still paying 2100 for iraq and you're still paying 2300 of the bailout."
The debate in its entirety is scheduled to be rebroadcast on C-SPAN at a time and date yet to be determined. This was the third meeting between the two candidates.