All of us wore masks in public areas of the building today. Each candidate will have 60 seconds to deliver an opening statement. We will then move to questions, with 60 seconds to respond. Ask at cases, we will least one followup question or clarification, which will get an additional 30 seconds. In the case of a direct attack on a candidate, that person will be given 30 seconds to respond. Somee attacks continue, at point, we would just have to move on. Our candidates are Jeanne Shaheen. Senator shaheen, welcome. Sen. Shaheen nice to be here. Also with us, republican nominee corky messner. Mr. Messner, thank you for your time as well. Mr. Messner thank you. We will start with 62nd opening statements. We will go in alphabetical order. Mr. Messner, your opening statement. Mr. Messner thank you and thanks for having me. I am corky messner. I grew up in a bluecollar family, left home at 17, went to west point, became an infantrymen in the army. I have two sons. After i served, i became a businessman. , grew a business i am entirely selfmade. I am a job creator, a problem solver. I know how to get things done. I am independent, i know how to bring people together. Its time for a change. Senator shaheen has been in the senate 12 years. She has been in politics 30 years. She is loyal to the progressives in washington, d. C. She is not looking out for you. She is looking out for the democrats in washington, d. C. Its time for a change, its time to bring an outsider into washington, d. C. Who knows how to get things done, who knows how to compromise, and who knows how to look out for you. Thank you, mr. Messner. Senator shaheen, go ahead, your turn. Sen. Shaheen in my time in public office, i have worked to make a difference for the people of New Hampshire, both as governor and now as United States senator. Right now, we are facing perilous times with a pandemic and too many people struggling. I have worked in washington to bring help back to New Hampshire. To25 billion of the state distribute, extended Unemployment Benefits, and ive worked across the aisle to try and get help for Small Businesses, the ppp program that i helped write, which has made a difference for businesses right here in concord. We have brought help back for hospitals and Frontline Health care workers. But now, there is so much more to do to get through this pandemic to restart our economy. You were here today on every issue. My opponent and i have very different views. He is in lockstep with Mitch Mcconnell in washington republicans. I think thats wrong for New Hampshire. Im going to continue to work across the aisle to get things done, and i hope the listeners will vote for me on november 3. Thank you. Thank you, senator shaheen. We will get into our questions now. We will remind you how much time you have for each question. The week, senator shaheen, nation watched the u. S. Supreme Court Nomination hearings of Amy Coney Barrett. Senator shaheen, has judge barrett said anything in the last three days that would disqualify her in your mind to say on the high court . You have 60 seconds please. Sen. Shaheen there is a lot on the line in this supreme Court Nomination. I dont believe President Trump should have made the nomination. We are in the middle of an election. We should be waiting for the election to happen on november 3. Whoever the next president is should make the determination of who should be nominated to the Supreme Court. I have been very concerned about justice barretts positions on choice. She has had a clear record opposing roe v. Wade. She has had a clear record in her writings opposing the Affordable Care act, which is so important to millions of people in america, thousands in New Hampshire. Ineard some things this week the questioning that made me very concerned. Her suggestion that medicare might not be constitutional raised real concerns for me. So i intend to vote against amy nomination when she comes before the senate. Thank you, senator shaheen. You. Lowup question for if judge barrett is confirmed and a disputed president ial election is what we see in november, it comes before the court, should then justice very recuse herself . Sen. Shaheen she was asked about this question this week. She refused to answer that. I think there are real questions about what was said between her and President Trump. Was there a commitment that if the selection is thrown into the courts, that she would sit on that . I think that is not appropriate, given the circumstances under which she has been nominated. But i think we are going to have a big election on november 3, and its not going to have to go to the courts. One more question for you, senator shaheen. Lets talk about the size of the court. You have said you are not in favor of expanding it beyond nine justices. There is nothing in the constitution that says it has to be nine, so why not . Sen. Shaheen well, thats correct. There is not anything in the constitution about the size of the Supreme Court. I dont support packing the court. That has been tried several times over our history, and it has never worked. I dont think it makes sense. One of the challenges right now with this administration is the belief in peoples the institutions of our democracy, and i think the court is one of those that people are questioning now. What we have seen from Mitch Mcconnell and donald trump is that there packing the court with right wing judges. Thank you, senator shaheen. Mr. Messner, similar questions for you about the high court and what we have seen this week. Shaheensenator mentioned about the factor that we are having these nomination hearings right now. The Republican Party for ago said Merrick Garland should not get a hearing because the election was less than a year wait. Now, your party is taking the opposite argument. You said that Merrick Garland should have had a vote. My question for you, mr. Messner , if judge barrett gets on the high court, what does that say for the future of the nomination process, and how americans view the impartiality, or the fairness, of their high court . You have 60 seconds. Mr. Messner i think Amy Coney Barrett has demonstrated this week in her hearings that she is a woman of high character, she is a woman of integrity, she is a woman of amazing intellect and legal mind. And i think she will do her job as an associate justice on the Supreme Court with an open mind, going through the judicial decisionmaking process, and americans need to have confidence that she is a wonderful choice who will be objective and open minded about any decision. That is the kind of person we want on the Supreme Court. She is a wonderful role model for young girls and women, just as Ruth Bader Ginsburg was. Just because their philosophies are different, they can both be great role models for women. We should have confidence in the Supreme Court and this nomination process. So, feeling good about Amy Coney Barrett as a justice. My question for you, mr. Messner , is the political nature of the flipflop. You said in the debate last week that the parties have been flipflopping on this. I just wonder what that does for how americans feel about the Supreme Court as sort of the last place where things are not political. You have 30 seconds. Mr. Messner as i said before, both republicans and democrats, including senator shaheen, flipflopped on this issue. Everybody was put flopping. I think people flipflopping. I think people ought to do their jobs. The voters elected President Trump and they elected a republicancontrolled senate. They are in office and they should proceed and do their job. I will be an independent u. S. Senator and do my job and look out for the people of New Hampshire. Last question for you, mr. Messner, and then i will turn it over to annie. What about ending Lifetime Appointments for justices . Here in New Hampshire, judges have to retire at 70. Should we do that at the federal level . 30 seconds please. Mr. Messner no, i dont think we should. Of the the independence judiciary is extremely important. That is why i think these threats coming from the democrats packing the court is a bad thing. Joe biden will not even answer the question. He does not want to make it an issue. We know history tells us that whatever the democrats want to do regarding packing the court, senator shaheen will go right along and support them. 30 seconds, senator shaheen. You did say a moment ago that you are not in favor of expanding the number of justices on the court. Sen. Shaheen that is correct. What my opponent has tried to do any time he does not like my answer because it is not consistent with his republican talking points about democrats is to say i am not being honest. You can go look at my statements from the very beginning. I said i dont support packing the court. What wehis is exactly have seen from President Trump and from Mitch Mcconnell, that they are packing the court with people like Amy Coney Barrett, who have extremist views on issues that are important to the american people, like the Affordable Care act. That has been a lot of talk about how you define packing. I will move it onto annie. Lets turn to covid19 enter the governments response to the pandemic. Mr. Messner, to you first. The pandemic has brought many of americas inequalities into sharp relief. Data shows that even in New Hampshire, people of color, their incomes have been more harmed by the virus and its economic effects. What should the senate have done differently in its response to the pandemic to address this disparity . 60 seconds. Mr. Messner i think the senate and the federal government should have taken a more targeted approach to all the relief they provided. I think the u. S. Senate delayed passing the original cares act. They delayed it in order to put more pork barrel spending into the cares act. Senator shaheen went right along with her that delay. , not only didlay Small Businesses in New Hampshire become harmed because of it, we lost some Small Businesses because of that delay. People of color and people in the inner cities were harmed more because of that delay. We need to target our spending. We need to go and help people that need help. Just like the latest package, it should have been passed three weeks ago. There is Small Businesses in New Hampshire that need help now. Democrats are playing politics with that. Just a followup, can you say more about what you mean about targeted spending . What about the cares act and the stimulus bills that have been proposed would you have honed down or targeted to different recipients . Mr. Messner i think we need to do a better job of finding out and identifying where needs are. I will give you an example. New hampshire received 1. 25 billion. That was the least amount any state received. Wyoming received 1. 25 billion. Wyoming has 500,000 people and 10 times the geographic area, and not nearly the covid cases that New Hampshire had. Bit wiser ino be a washington, d. C. About where we spend our money and target it. In addition, you have said you would create a National Disaster protocol, a Robust National stockpile of critical materials, ppe and necessary supplies. Do you think of the u. S. Should have had a more centralized approach to this crisis instead of letting state governments take the lead . Mr. Messner yes, i think one of the failures of the institutions of government has been that after the h1n1 pandemic and that, youebola scare, know, the democrats, barack obama and the democrats in washington, d. C. Did not learn any lessons from that. Our institutions of government were not prepared for this. The stockpiles were dry. We need to learn lessons from these things and be prepared for the next time. Would you say that one of those lessons is that the federal government should take more of a lead on a National Strategy as opposed to allowing it to go statebystate . 30 seconds. Mr. Messner yes, i think it should go statebystate. I think the federal government could provide guidance and assistance when needed, just like President Trump did with building the hospitals in new , andcity and other places providing guidance and providing the whole of america approach. I talked to a Granite State or not long ago who works for a company that manufactures ventilators. They are now manufacturing 10,000 ventilators a month because of President Trumps whole of america approach. Thank you so much, mr. Messner,. Senator shaheen, turning to you. You have applied these aid bills that passed in congress. How could they have done more to offset those inequalities . Sen. Shaheen well, the cares act was an effort to address a number of sectors of our economy that were hurting. I would disagree with my opponent. We needed to provide additional Unemployment Benefits for people who were laid off. Because i held out, we were able to get 1. 25 million. If my opponent had had his weight, we would have gotten a package that did not clued include additional help for hospitals and Frontline Health care workers and testing, that would not have included it would have included only have the money for Small Businesses. What could we have done better and we were not able to get our republican colleagues to agree was to provide additional family medical leave for those essential workers, many in minority communities, who felt like they had to go to work because they cannot support their families because they were not able to stay home from their central jobs. The same question essential jobs. The state same question on state versus federal response. Do you think the government should have taken a more centralized approach on this . Sen. Shaheen absolutely. We have not had a plan from the Trump Administration from the beginning of this pandemic. Now, what they are trying to do is undermine the Affordable Care act in the middle of a pandemic. My opponent supports that. He and i have very different positions on this. Now, hes trying to deny, as he did in our debate at north conway, that we have thousands of people in New Hampshire that have Underlying Health conditions that mean that they will not be able to get Health Insurance if the Affordable Care act is overturned. Mr. Messner, i am going to leave that went to our discussion of health care coming up in a few minutes. We will have a chance to talk about that. Lastly, senator shaheen, we have had many reports that show scientists have been ignored or pressure to change recommendations from political agencies, and it has led to confusion, and scott inconsistency mother problems in the response. What do you think congress should have done to prevent this breakdown the next time this happens . Sen. Shaheen the interference that is going on is on the part of the Trump Administration, trying to interfere with the fda, as they tried to put in stricter safety requirements around approving a vaccine. May have interfered with the cdc and the guidance that they have issued for schools, for example. If weongress should do, were able to Work Together, which we should be doing in this pandemic, is to tell the white house you cannot do that. I have been on a number of letters to try and say this is not appropriate. Mr. Messner, i want to give you a chance to weigh in on this question of how science and policymakers can Work Together. What do you think congress should have done to make that relationship work more smoothly . Mr. Messner well, a couple things. I want to correct the record that senator shaheen mentioned that the delay was to get more money for New Hampshire. That is just wrong. The deal was cut on a sunday. Nancy pelosi came back and she wanted more pork in the deal. Haddelays because of that nothing to do with the funds going to New Hampshire or any other state. So thats a misrepresentation of what happened. We are heading into a break. Coming up, ive got a segment of questions to ask both of you about the economy, about Coronavirus Relief. So we will tackle that in just a moment. Coming up, more of our u. S. Senate debate with the candidates for New Hampshires open u. S. Senate seat this year. Thanks for being with us. We will be right back. You are watching a New Hampshire elections 2020 special presentation, the exchange candidate debate is from nhpr in partnership with New Hampshire pbs. Welcome back. Nhprs candidate debate for New Hampshire u. S. Senate. We are talking with the Republican Senate nominee, corky messner, and the democratic incumbent, u. S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen. Lets turn to the pandemics economic fallout. Lets talk about whats happening right now. Senate republicans are preparing an Economic Relief bill to eight. Mall businesses how Speaker Pelosi is promoting a larger 2 trillion package. While the house and senate debate, their versions, economists saying we need to act now. Where do you stand, senator shaheen . Should we go along with Senate Republicans to get something done now or hold out for this bigger package . What would you do . Sen. Shaheen i think we need to get back to the table and negotiate. Unfortunately, what we have heard from Mitch Mcconnell on the president has been wishywashy about that. First, he said calling off negotiations. Now, he said we need to gay package. Jerome powell has said get a package. Jerome powell has said we need the biggest possible package because we need to help prime the economy so that people can pay their bills, consumers can continue to spend. So, i think we need a package thats going to address the challenges that we are hearing from Small Businesses who are worried about getting through this winter, but also from hospitals. I was at Catholic Medical Center this week, and they talked about the financial challenges they had. They need additional help. It is not in anybodys interest for hospitals to close. We know that the Aviation Industry needs help, and we need to provide that help. Thatso need to make sure there is additional funding for testing and contact tracing, all of the things that are going to allows to get ahead of this pandemic. Just to clarify, senator shaheen, is that a call to hold out for a larger package . Sen. Shaheen it is absolutely. The package introduced by Mitch Mcconnell does not address the needs that people in New Hampshire have. I am not going to leave half of the state behind when we have hospitals that still need help, when we have airline an Airline Industry that still needs help, when we have Small Businesses that need more help than has been provided in the package. And we have state and local communities who are on the front lines of this pandemic who are worried about whether they are going to have to lay off workers if they dont get any additional help. There has been plenty of criticism of the first Coronavirus Relief package. Mr. Messner is not the only one to say that there was pork in it , the 4 trillion that pass in the spring. Large tax breaks for corporations who were laying off workers who did not show evidence that they were struggling. If there is another round of Economic Relief, and it seems like everybody wants one, what will you do to ensure that it is more targeted to those who truly need . 30 seconds need it . 30 seconds. Sen. Shaheen one of the things i have proposed with my colleagues on the Small Business committee is that are targeting the Small Business dollars better targeting the Small Business dollars so it goes to minority owned businesses, women owned businesses that have had trouble getting the help they need. We have to look at things like that. I also held out. One of the reasons we held on the cares package was because the administration wanted a slush fund for secretary mnuchin to be able to spend anywhere he wanted to. We did not think that was right. We need some oversight. One last quick question for you. I would like to get some clarity on your stance on taxes. Joe biden wants to raise taxes on americans making more than 400,000 a year. Do you support that i get . Yes or no that idea . Yes or no . Sen. Shaheen i support middleclass tax cuts. I did not support the tax bill that President Trump passed that did not have one public hearing, that was written overnight behind closed doors, and that gave 83 of the benefits to the largest corporations. That is not going to help us get our economy back on track. We have got to help our Small Businesses. I understand how to do that, not just through the ppp program, but also through investment and infrastructure in ensuring that the regulations that they have allows them to continue to operate. I want to go to corky messner. I want to get a yes or no on the 400,000 tax increase that joe biden is proposing. Sen. Shaheen i do think we should tax return americans more richard americans more richer americans more. I have not seen what he is proposing. We need the tax cuts to go to middle income americans, but the top 1 should pay their fair share of taxes. Thank you, senator. Some economic questions. I would like to start with the deficit. You have said you are very concerned about the nations 3 trillion deficit, and that you would like to get that under control. To do so, you have said we need to cut discretionary spending. The bulk of Government Spending ,s mandatory, Social Security medicare, medicaid. How would you achieve your goal of significant deficit reduction without touching those, and would include military cuts . Mr. Messner i want to go back for a second. A few weeks ago, the u. S. Senate had an opportunity to pass 500 million in covid relief 500 billion in covid relief. Senator shaheen said no. She could have proposed more money frost throws, and she said no money for hospitals, and she said no. During that time, New Hampshire businesses are hurting. New hampshire small. Businesses are closing down. New hampshire Small Businesses need help. People who dont have jobs need unemployment enhancement. I would propose that theres no package contain a provision that this new package contain a provision that no u. S. Senator, no congressmen nor their family members can take a ppp loan. The fact that senator shaheens family took eight ppp loans is outrageous. This is consistent with what happened 10 years ago with the stimulus package with crony capitalism. I will let you respond to that. Ppp loans for you, senator shaheen. Sen. Shaheen as marco rubio, the chair of that negotiating team, said, we designed the program so that anybody who qualified was able to get approved. I did not sign off on who got approved. I am not part of my husbands businesses. It was actually the Trump Administration that implemented the program and determine who got help to that program. My opponent is really disingenuous. His law firm got millions of dollars through the ppp program. Mr. Messner, your law firm, did you get ppp loans . Mr. Messner you know, i am not a u. S. Senator. When i am the next u. S. Senator, i would divest my business interests. It does not mean that u. S. Senators should have their families taking this money from the government. In fact, what i would say is, in my family, my children have enough respect for me that they would not even apply for that kind of a long. Its cronyism, corruption, its just like the biden family. A question about the covid relief money, mr. Messner. You said we should have moved forward on this 500 billion in covid relief. Senator shaheen made the case that there is so much suffering and our economy is so fragile that she would like to hold out for more. What do you think . I will give you 30 seconds please. Mr. Messner yes, it is an illogical argument. We should get money now to people who need it, then we can talk about additional money. It does not have to all come out once. To allow people to continue to suffer, to allow Small Businesses to continue to suffer to hold out for more when you can do the packages in phases and be more targeted is the way to go. The idea that you let people suffer in order to get negotiating leverage makes no sense. Thank you both. Back to you. I just want to disclose that nhpr was a recipient of some ppp funding. Lets turn to the topic of health care. I would like to clarify your position on the Affordable Care act, also known as obamacare. Tell us what provisions of this law you do support, what you think its flaws are, and how congressman should go about fixing those. Mr. Messner let me talk about the concepts i support. I support that people with preexisting conditions should always be able to get Health Insurance. I support the medicaid expansion. I support people to be able to stay under parents Health Insurance until 26 years old. Youro you want to control Health Insurance and health care . The government, or do you want it to be yourself and your doctor and your family . Have marketbased Health Insurance. We need to get more Health InsuranceCompanies Back in New Hampshire. There were 26 before Jeanne Shaheen ran them out with her laws in New Hampshire. Now, there is three. It is time that we focus on the patients, we focus on people and not government controlled Health Insurance. In fact, Jeanne Shaheen cosponsored medicare for all socialized medicine with Bernie Sanders in 2017. We will get to the medicare for all question in just a second. Mr. Messner, i wanted to clarify, do you also believe that the Affordable Care act should not be repealed before it is replaced . You have supported governor sununus decision to join a multistate lawsuit to that effect. Mr. Messner what i think needs there needs to be, and i would propose in the u. S. Senate as soon as i get there, laws that protect people to make sure they can get Health Insurance if they have preexisting conditions. I would propose laws that allow Insurance Companies to sell Health Insurance across state lines to bring competition. I would propose laws that bring transparency to. Let me make a point about that. The Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments in the aca case november 10. We all know that that decision will not be handed down until probably next summer. So, there is time for the u. S. Senate to act and get something done to take care people before there is any decision on the aca. One more question, mr. Messner. Why do you think that people should trust that the free market will provide some of these protections that you support, which was one of the goals of the aca . Mr. Messner as i said, i would propose legislation that would insurancealth companies to ensure people with preexisting conditions. I would propose legislation that would provide that would require Health Insurances to insure people on their parents policies until they are 26 years old. I support medicaid expansion, but when you bring more Insurance Companies into the marketplace, there will be competition that will drive the cost down. Thank you, mr. Messner. Senator shaheen, if democrats regain power in washington, we could see the Health Care Debate shift toward more of the differences between a medicare for all concept and the existing Affordable Care act. What do you think could be a workable compromise between those positions . Sen. Shaheen the Affordable Care act has ensured that we have over 21 Million People now with Health Insurance. In New Hampshire, over 100,000 people who have Health Insurance because of the aca. I think we need to improve on the aca, not try and eliminate it, as my opponent and the republicans have proposed. If they really wanted to have a replacement for that during the two years that donald trump controlled both the white house and republicans controlled the house and senate, they could have put forward a plan, but they did not do that. What we need to do is improve on the aca. We need to have a public option or allow people to buy into medicare or medicaid so that they can get Health Insurance at a cost they can afford. Thats the challenge. When people have preexisting conditions, if you force the Insurance Companies to cover them, the Insurance Companies are just going to raise the rates. My opponent does not seem to understand that. Yesterday, he went with his cronies and heckled a number of people with preexisting conditions when they were trying to talk about their challenges. They may do things that way in colorado, where hes from, but we dont do things that way in New Hampshire. We respect peoples opinions at the right to say what they think. Mr. Messner, i wanted to give you a chance to respond. Mr. Messner a couple things, the number keeps growing. Senator shaheen said last debate that there were 90,000 people in New Hampshire that had Health Insurance because of the aca. Now, its over 100,000 people. Staterse 44,000 granite voluntary signed up for Health Insurance through the aca. The additional people come about 50,000, have Health Insurance through the aca because of medicare expansion, which is a good thing. I did not heckle anybody yesterday. You know, i am sorry that she thinks that. I did not heckle anybody yesterday. On the subject of preexisting conditions, mr. Do you foresee legislation that would put price controls in place to prevent some issues that senator shaheen raises . 30 seconds please. Mr. Messner no price controls. Havect, you know, i received several messages since our last debate from people who are telling me how high their Health Insurance premium has gone under the aca. They had to give up Health Insurance. The aca is now affordable. Senator shaheen knows that. She said back in 2014 that the cost of Health Insurance would not go up more than 1 . Doubled under the aca. Your thoughts on how insurance costs have change under the aca . Sen. Shaheen i think my opponent does not understand how the aca works. The numbers of people who are getting coverage under either expansion of medicaid or the aca in New Hampshire have gone up. They have gone up because, particularly on expanded medicaid, because people are out of work and they need health care coverage. Expansion of medicaid is part of the aca. That was done with bipartisan support in New Hampshire, support from the Republican Legislature and democratic governor maggie hassan. That is what we need to do in order to improve on the aca and lower costs. I hope that my republican colleagues and my opponent would come to the table and say, lets Work Together to address this. Thats what i tried to do. Clearly, we could have a whole debate about health care. Slipping quickly to Foreign Policy. We have not talked a lot about it during this campaign. Senator shaheen, to you first. What do you think is the greatest foreign threat to this nation . Sen. Shaheen in the shortterm, it is russia. History shows us that empires in decline tend to be more threatening than empires on the rise. In the long term, it is china. China is both an economic and military threat, as they continue to militarize, to take a very robust action in the South China Sea that affects not just United States, but the rest of the world. Expansivea very economic and diplomatic policy that their belts and road initiative, which says they are providing economic aid across Southeast Asia and into europe. We have not countered that the way we should. I recently signed onto legislation that is the biggest package to address the threat from china that we have ever seen in the legislature. It would address not just additional funding to counter their economic aid and diplomatic aid, but also call for more transparency in whats happening with some of their ventures in the United States. Thank you, senator. Mr. Messner, same question to you, greatest Foreign Policy threats facing this nation. Mr. Messner i would say china 1a, russia 1b. We must hold the Chinese CommunistParty Accountable for the covid19 crisis. During the obama era, when senator shaheen was in the senate, the Chinese Communist party was allowed to steal our intellectual property, they were allowed to grow economically and militarily. Joe biden and barack obama and senator shaheen encouraged that to happen. We know now whats going on with the chinese and the biden family and the corruption there. It is definitely the Chinese Communist party. They want to dominate the world economically and militarily. Their no longer be research and development arm. We cannot allow them to steal our intellectual property anymore. Some agreement between the two of you about the threat we face from china. We are heading into a quick break, so stay with us from our conversation with New Hampshires candidates for u. S. Senate right here on New Hampshire public radio. You are watching a New Hampshire elections 2020 special presentation, the exchange candidate debates from nhpr in partnership with New Hampshire pbs. Welcome back to nhprs candidate debate for New Hampshires u. S. Senate seat. Talkingr, we have been with incumbent democratic u. S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, running for a third term, and the republican nominee, lawyer and businessman corky messner. Lets begin this last segment with you. Lets talk next about Climate Change. First, mr. Messner. It is a scientific fact that human activity is causing the current rapid warming of our climate. That same science says we have a few decades or less to lower Greenhouse Gas emissions to avoid deaths, mass migration, and a doubledigit hit to the american economy. What Economic Opportunities do you see in addressing this problem . Mr. Messner yes, Climate Change is real. We have one planet and we should all take care of and do everything we can to take care of it. That is why i have helped conserve and preserve 250 acres in New Hampshire. There are plenty of Economic Opportunities. Look at what tesla has done with the electric car market. The majorsed moreotive manufacturers to aggressively pursue manufacturing electric cars. There are opportunities in alternative fuels. That can help the environment. Power. Wer, solar the market ought to be unleashed to solve those problems, and encouraging businesses to do solve thiselp Climate Change problem. One followup question on clean car standards. You mentioned electric vehicles. Under President Trump, we have seen rollbacks of a vehicle efficiency standards, we have seen losses with the state of california about its efficiency standards. Do you think those kinds of regulatory moves are a good idea . Mr. Messner i generally think there is too much government regulation. It has been a benefit to the United States and the United StatesNational Security and the United States economy to become energy independent. We have to continue to do that. You know, i think the Regulatory Environment ultimately does more harm than good. I think that if we continue to provide incentives to these companies to manufacture electric cars, then it will make the need for this kind of regulation not necessary. On the topic of incentives, you mentioned wind and solar power. Some tax credits for those industries are currently expiring. Would you support additional incentives along those lines to help those industries compete with . Fossil mr. Messner fuels yes, i think mr. Messner very targeted incentives are good. I think the government picking winners and losers is not good. We saw that under the Obama Administration when they tried to do that. It turned out to be pretty wasteful. I think incentives to businesses, then you still have the market working, i think its a good thing. I think the ingenuity and creativity of americans will solve this problem. Thanks so much, mr. Messner. Senator shaheen, Vice President joe biden has said he will not immediately ban all fracking in america. How do you square that with the sense of urgency you have said is necessary to address the Climate Crisis . Sen. Shaheen well, some fracking is not bad, depending upon what is used in that fracking and how they deal with water. The fact is, we need to address our Climate Crisis. It is an existential threat. I am pleased that my opponent is now finally acknowledging that. I agree with him around conservation. When i was governor, i worked to conserveegg 171,000 acres of land in northern New Hampshire. I am sponsoring legislation with rob portman for Energy Efficiency. We have gotten some pieces of it done. That legislation, if we can get it passed, will not only save thousands of pounds of pollution , because 40 of our energy is it willings, but also create about 300,000 jobs a year. There are definitely good jobs that can be had if we switch to clean energy, just like we are seeing in New Hampshire with the focus on wind. Senator shaheen, you have been working on that proposal with senator portman for a number of years. You have many other bipartisan bills with republicans, many of which have not been able to pass. Do you think that the approach to bipartisan Climate Action has been effective . Would you change that at all, especially depending on how the balance of power shifts after the selection . Sen. Shaheen for the first time in this last year of congress, what we have seen in the senate is a bipartisan caucus to begin to address Climate Change. That is the first time that has happened since i have been in the senate, the republican columns have finally come to the table. I was one of the original members of that. There are eight of us. We are looking at legislation that we can move on now, like Energy Efficiency legislation with rob portman, that can see savings both in terms of pollution, but also in terms of job creation. Just on natural gas, the idea of fracking. Natural gas is often held up as a bridge fuel. Many environmentalists worry about how to transition off of that. How do you see the federal government kind of allowing that transition to happen, not perpetuating natural gas use, if that is a problem driving emissions . Sen. Shaheen New Hampshire has made use of natural gas we have phased out our dependence on oil, that has been a good bridge fuel. One of the things we have to do there are ways to do that, through incentives and forgot production tax credits. It and biofuels, which is really important. I would like to turn the issue of race and policing. Senator, you are in support of whats called qualified immunity, which makes it harder to sue police for damage. And eliminating this is important to many democrats. The key demand of Racial Justice groups in New Hampshire. Why are you opposed . That weheen i agree have racial inequity in our society. Mississippiool in in 1970 when they fully integrated the schools in the south. I have seen firsthand those inequities. Met, by zoom, would leaders of africanamerican the Africanamerican Community in hampshire. They talk not just about Law Enforcement and qualified immunity, but what we need to do in education and health care to address racial inequities. Which we are seeing clearly with the covid pandemic. We need accountability for Law Enforcement. There are some things we ought to be able to agree on, like the elimination of chokeholds, and accreditation for Police Departments, ensuring that all police where body cameras. Thats the direction our state commission has gone in. Thats an important way to start an independent body to hold anybody accountable for wrongdoing. So a legal middleground. Howdy field by the fact that your two democratic colleagues on capitol hill in the first and Second District disagree. They support getting rid of qualified immunity for police officers. They make their decision and i made mine. I have spoken not just the Africanamerican Community in New Hampshire, but Law Enforcement. Police, they endorsed me last week and im proud. I spoke to chief dennis, the head of the Chiefs Association up in hanover. They expressed concerns about what qualified immunity might do to discourage people from going into Police Departments and retraining retaining and being sustained and Police Departments. There might be common ground, i would hope we could Work Together to find it. Messner, governor sununu issued an executive order that would put into place a series of new policies meant to address bias in policing. Senator shaheen mentioned a couple of aspects including mandatory body cameras, implicit bias training, other measures. Do you see the need for similar policies at the federal level . Mr. Messner senator tim scott of South Carolina proposed legislation to help Law Enforcement. To provide better training. Reporting, toter provide more funds in the u. S. Senate. Senator shaheen and the other democrats said no. In fact, whether republicans wanted to do in the u. S. Senate was to simply debate that bill, and offer that the democrats could make up to 20 amendments. And senator shaheen and the others said no. They would not even debate it. Vote to debate that bill. She was not looking for common ground. Commonea that she wants ground and compromise, she had an opportunity to lead area she had an opportunity to lead democrats and say lets talk about this bill that senator tim specht tim scott proposed and she did not do it. Go ahead. Scotthaheen for legislation would have only provided recommendations. There was no real law as part of what he was proposing. Theas the top member on appropriations subcommittee that has oversight over the justice department, i have worked hard to get those kinds of incentives for our Law Enforcement, to get incentives for accreditation. To get grants for community policing. I think thats important. Unfortunately Mitch Mcconnell had an opportunity to get all sides to sit down and Work Together and he refused. If you want change, you want somebody who is not going to move in lockstep with ms. Mcconnell with Mitch Mcconnell. As we were talking about the tim scott bill, i did not get enough clarity on my question about these changes that the governor and his attorney general have signed onto that they support. Mandatory body cameras, implicit bias training, other measures that were included in the Governors Commission looking at racial bias in policing. Should we have those policies at the federal level . This is an i think issue for the state. I think governor sununu has done a good job. I think each state should take up those measures. I do want to point out that senator shaheen always has an excuse to not compromise. She always has an excuse to follow the democrats in washington, d. C. I am not in lockstep with Mitch Mcconnell. I have met Mitch Mcconnell i have never met Mitch Mcconnell. I will be an independent senator, unlike senator shaheen who is loyal to progressives. I have heard this in every debate, that he or she is using it is in lockstep. Sen. Shaheen my opponent is using republican talking points, is why assume he is in lockstep with Mitch Mcconnell. But he should not talking about leadership. I served as governor when i worked with the legislature to extend kindergarten. When i had to balance three budgets and make tough decisions to do that. When i worked to get childrens Health Insurance when the Republican Legislature would not support it we got it done three private foundation. And the next session the republican legislator supported. I know about leadership. I have lead and it made a difference. Messnerast question mr. About race in policing. The fbi said the biggest threat to americans comes not from International Terrorism but what it calls mystic violent extremists, including those motivated by a White Supremacy, antisemitism, islamophobia, and misogyny. What would you do as a u. S. . Enator to reduce these threats thats a 32nd response. A 30 second respond. Messner we need to find get the funding and support the fbi needs to search out extremist groups on the right and the left theres no room in this country for bigotry. There is no room for racism. These groups that are stirring up hate, we need to find them, we need to dismantle them, we need to hold them accountable under the law. Its unacceptable that these groups exist and we need to go find them and deal with them. You considerps most concerning, given that fbi and Homeland Security have specifically focused on White Supremacy groups and groups of that ilk. Mr. Messner i certainly trust the fbis assessment. If the fbi considers the White Supremacy groups as the number one threat, thats the number one priority that we should go and find them then dismantle them and hold them accountable under the law. Doorll groups, ref left right, no matter what their bigotry or hate, we must stop it. Throwback for a quick questions right quick question on guns. And i believe our candidates only have 30 seconds. The data shows that socalled red flag laws, Risk Protection orders, have a measurable effect in preventing suicides. There is a plan or a federal red flag all that has been stalled in congress. Would you support the bill . Mr. Messner no. I would not support a red flag law. Our Second Amendment is a civil second and i support the amendment and the rights to keep and bear arms. I support the heller decision that the Supreme Court made. I would not support red flag laws. , gun billsshaheen frequently come and go. Usually after mass shootings. Even President Trump has signaled he would support gun reform. How should congress be prioritizing this issue outside of the fallout from highprofile shootings . Sen. Shaheen one of the things that we know saves lives, and we are losing too many people to gun violence prewe can pass common sense laws that help save lives. But also protect the Second Amendment, which is what i support. One of the things that we know that works is comprehensive background checks. We almost passed it after the newtown shooting. We need to do that. Fromked with John Cornyn Texas to report the form of our system that supports backer hence it car brands background checks. We need to keep guns out of the hands of those who would do harm to themselves and others. Both of you, thank you. We will have to wrap it up. That concludes our forum with New Hampshires candidates. I would like to thank them. Thank you both very much. And myo to my colleague partners at New Hampshire pbs and the many Staff Members who worked on this event including emma. N, am a our last debate is tuesday. For now, thank you for being with us. This is the exchange on New Hampshire public radio. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2020] this has been a New Hampshire elections 2020 special presentation. The Exchange Debates in partnership with New Hampshire pbs. Lindsey graham and Jamie Harrison meet for their third and final scheduled debate in South Carolina on wednesday, october 21. South carolina etv is partnering with the post and courier to host the event with coverage starting at 7 00 eastern on cspan. Journal,s washington everyday we are taking your calls live on the air on the news of the day to discuss policy issues that impact you. Coming up, the university of Florida Political science professor, michael mcdonald, discusses research on campaign 2020 early voting trends. Of carol anderson, author one person, no votes, talks about Voting Rights in campaign 2020. And grace marie turner looks at health care and the future of the Affordable Care act. Watch washington journal live at 7 00 eastern this morning. Join the discussion with your phone calls, facebook comments, text, and tweet. Joe biden campaigned in michigan, talking stopping in southfield to talk about health care. President trump won michigan four years ago and its in the lean democrat category. Senator Carrie Peters and Governor Gretchen Whitmer leave leave the event. Lead the event. Welcome. It is so great to ha j