McSally, Heinz spar over health care, border and energy policies
But the two often split on their solutions to the problems in Wednesday night's
Incumbent
"It doesn't take a doctor to diagnose that Obamacare is not working," she said, in a pointed reference to Democrat Heinz, who is an emergency-room physician as well as a former state representative.
McSally conceded the system in place before Obamacare was flawed, but said the decision to replace it with a radically different, mandatory system was not the answer.
The candidates argued about who is to blame for the problems with the Affordable Care Act.
McSally said it was fault of the Obama administration, while Heinz said that "big pharma" and health care insurance providers wrote the legislation.
Heinz said the ACA has done a lot of good across the country, which he's seen first-hand as a physician, but admitted some changes are needed.
McSally said the entire system needs to be replaced.
In terms of border security, McSally called for "a better strategy" when it comes to national security.
She said the federal government has done a poor job of tracking immigrants who have overstayed their visas, and has also placed
Heinz said the underlying issues can't be ignored while the
"We can't just fix the heart and ignore the lungs and the kidneys," he said.
Asked about the
"Thankfully, the courts have stopped it," she said; the plan is on hold while states including
She said she voted with
Heinz countered that McSally was part of what he called the least productive congressional session in the nation's history, forcing federal agencies to act when
Environmental policy should be balanced, he said, warning that a lack of environmental monitoring led to poisoned water in
The congressional district, which covers a portion of
In August, the Secretary of State's Office reported that
Independents are coveted in the district, making up nearly one-third of its total registered voters.
The debate in
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