Alaska News

Four takeaways from U.S. Senate debate between Begich, Sullivan

Incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Begich and Republican challenger Dan Sullivan met Wednesday evening for their penultimate debate before Election Day, in a half-full theater at Bartlett High School in East Anchorage.

At the debate, hosted and broadcast by television station KTUU, the two candidates rehashed some familiar clashes -- on federal overreach, and veterans' affairs -- but broke some new ground, too.

Here are a few of the more interesting exchanges.

Earmarks

The moderator, KTUU's Steve MacDonald, asked if Congress should bring back earmarks -- the sums of federal money granted for projects favored by individual legislators, which were banned in 2010.

Earmarks were used to great effect by two Alaska Republicans, Rep. Don Young and Sen. Ted Stevens -- though they've also been criticized for leading to ethical violations stemming from interactions between lobbyists and lawmakers. Begich answered the question about reinstating earmarks by saying that he's a "big fan."

"If you don't do this, then the president makes all the decisions," Begich said.

Sullivan didn't directly answer the question, but sounded skeptical, and tried to connect the use of earmarks to the national debt. Even at their peak, though, earmarks amounted to $29 billion annually, while the national debt is currently close to $18 trillion.

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Military sexual assault reporting

Each of the candidates got to ask the other a single question. Begich asked Sullivan if he thought that reporting of sexual assaults in the military should be taken outside of the chain of command -- a controversial topic in the Senate, where Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York pushed a failed measure earlier this year to make such a change, which Begich supported.

The Pentagon opposed Gillibrand, arguing that such a change wasn't shown to lead to more reporting, and diminished commanders' accountability. Sullivan, a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, responded to Begich by saying that "it's a really important question," but wouldn't take a position.

"I want to have the benefit of the briefings from the Pentagon," Sullivan said.

Ebola

MacDonald asked if the candidates agreed with the strict quarantine policies put in place by the governors of New York and New Jersey for health workers and others returning to those states that have had contact with Ebola patients in West Africa -- policies that have been criticized as potential deterrents to workers willing to make such trips to combat the crisis.

Begich didn't directly answer the question, but touted a letter he'd written to President Barack Obama expressing concern over the mishandling of an Ebola patient in Texas, as well as efforts he'd made to try to ensure the state is prepared in the event of a positive test.

Sullivan, meanwhile, said he supported the measures imposed by the New York and New Jersey governors. "I agree there should be travel restrictions," he said, and also criticized the president for not acting more decisively to fight the disease.

Closing statements

The two candidates reiterated one of their key splits over the course of the campaign: the role played by Obama in the election.

In his closing statement, Begich argued that the Senate campaign is "about Alaska's future."

"It's not about Obama," Begich said. "Obama's gone in two years. This is about the next six years."

Sullivan disagreed, making his case that the country is going "in the wrong direction."

"These are the policies of Barack Obama and (Democratic Senate Majority Leader) Harry Reid," Sullivan said. "And yes: Unfortunately, in my view, Mark Begich has been a loyal supporter of these policies."

Sullivan was careful to add, however, that "there's nothing wrong in America that can't be fixed with what's right with Alaska."

The final Alaska Senate debate is Thursday night on public television and radio. Begich and Sullivan debate at 8 p.m. on KAKM and 360North television, on KSKA 91.1 FM and public radio stations across the state and on alaskapublic.org. Candidates for U.S. House, Rep. Don Young and challenger Forrest Dunbar, debate at 7 p.m.

Nathaniel Herz

Anchorage-based independent journalist Nathaniel Herz has been a reporter in Alaska for nearly a decade, with stints at the Anchorage Daily News and Alaska Public Media. Read his newsletter, Northern Journal, at natherz.substack.com

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