Be sure to visit cspan. Org campaign 2022 your website for our Midterm Election coverage on demand. Cspan, your unfiltered view of ellis hicks. Of politics. Next, kansas Governor Laura Kelly and eric schmitt a her republican challenger in this years republican race have a debate the nonpartisan political report with amy walter. This is an hour. Who will lead kansas . I ran for governor because i wanted to get the state it all comes down to this hello everyone, welcome, the two candidates on my stage today are will they will be meeting for the last time right now have you noticed that our nations governors are imploring some of the biggest issues that are dividing america right now from abortion to immigration. Two issues of everything from guns and this year you have a saying of hoover next governor will be in the office. Does democrat laura kelly deserve four more years in the to leave this state for the next four years. From a vantage point, this is not about me, this is about you, this is about people in the state who are not better off than they were four years ago. I am running for governor for all people whose jobs are declared nonessential. Kids that were locked out of school and they are struggling with the consequences of the decisions. I am running for governor the old who need Unemployment Benefits and were not able to get them from when the system failed them and they could not pay their bills. Running for governor for people who know somebody or love somebody who lives were destroyed by fentanyl because we will not secure the southern order democrats together we balanced our budget we fully funded our schools and be routed some of the Largest Companies in the country to come here and we cut taxes for working people who needed relief. I am proud of my bipartisan record that maybe most of all i am out to be here and restoring sense of stability to our politics. A spirit of working together and meeting in the middle to get things done. We have to stay on track and keep moving forward. National polls tell us that rising prices is the number one concern on americans mind this year. What is the biggest policy change he would make to help kansans cope with prices on the pup at utility bills and the rising cost of everything from cereal to eggs at the Grocery Store . The most important thing, that we could do within our control to fight inflation is eliminate sales tax on food. We have a 6. 5 state sales tax on food. That is actually a when you combine it with local taxes the highest in the country. I proposed to eliminate the sales tax all at once and it shouldve been in effect july 1 it was not, and there was a little bit of politics being played but, i will propose another immediate elimination of our sales tax when the legislature comes back. What should have happened is sales tax on food in kansas ought to be half then what it is in on the track to zero coming january. That is where it would have been if the governor would have signed in 2019 the food sales reduction bill that was put on her desk. But we are nonetheless where we are. The question now is Going Forward. Going forward, there are two things to focus on. One is conditional relief on the backside and cost side. We propose in our Campaign Something called higher tax brief to help seniors in particular deal with costofliving and retirement. And we have to focus on the loss. The last four years the state of kansas has spent more money at a faster pace than ever before and those bills will come to make problems. You have 30 seconds to rebut. I probably self on my fiscal responsibility. I have the bills that came to my desk and they would have really spiraled us back into the brownback era. A couple of establishments are talking about those. But, we have also cut 1 billion in taxes for kansas city citizens kansas citizens over the past four years. How many of those tax cuts were initiated by republicans and legislature because the governor was in office and she did sign them which is she signed this one she shouldve signed the bill in 2019. Every time the governor points out that 2019 bill she found unfortunate and problematic it reminds the me that every single point in the bill she vetoed twice became law prior to now other than the crude sales tax cut. The only thing her veto stopped in 2019 was having the food sales tax at half its rate today on the way to zero. Very thank you very much. What changes if any would you make to the states abortion laws or the regulations of government abortion rights . I am prolife i prefer kansas has few abortions not more. Obviously kansas voters spoke for a portion of this issue in august and made the decision that any state involvement in the area will satisfy judicial scrutiny. We have to respect that decision Going Forward. I believe Going Forward the biggest challenge will be defending those limitations and restrictions already on the books. I believe they will be subject to legal challenge. I am committed to defending them Going Forward. The governor has made no such commitment to back their use on this as best i can tell far out of mainstream. I have yet to hear her articulate any restriction on access to abortion that she support she voted against everyone and she was a state senate. And vetoed everyone that landed on her desk since shes been governor. I think we saw on august 2 an overwhelming majority of kansans believe that a womans right to make private medical decisions should rest with her and not with politicians. I think they saw that amendment as a serious government overreach. Requirements for parental consent taxpayer funding i believe those decisions for out of the mainstream. I will defend those in the books. The governors positions or not. Yeah, i really feel 18 years have the same decision on this issue. So i really did have much more to say. New question what in your judgment governor kelly is the most serious threat facing the state. Actually the most serious threat right now is probably workforce shortage. As ive gone all around the state and we just finished up our prosperity in the planes for and no matter where i went, it was workforce, housing, affordable childcare and water. Those are the kinds of things that kansans are thinking about those are the kinds of eggs that my administration are working on to resolve. The cost of the economic insistence that we have had in bringing in 14 billion of new Economic Development and for 1000 retained jobs we have exacerbated some of those problems that you can trust that we have got all eyes on it and we are working to ensure that we meet those challenges for Affordable Housing and childcare. And the biggest threat facing kansas for you is what . It is a couple of things. There are many Serious Problems facing our state and we have to have an approach to dealing with it but i do think with the flow of across the southern the u. S. Is methamphetamine it is been the case for many years it is now deadly fentanyl that is in our communities and is mostly manufactured and south of the border shipping in kansas and drug cartels it is killing our children and the federal administration right now and present president bynums leadership will not address it. They will not secure the southern border of the United States which transforms what was an actual order security immigration issue into a Public Health and safety issue for moms and dads and families here in johnson can county. 30 seconds for a rebuttal. s no doubt i believe we need secure borders but if we really want to deal with the fenton all issue fincen elf fentanyl issue we need to expand medicaid sub people can address access the services they need. Drug companies their opioid addiction and 200 million in the state over the next several years. And more specifically address Substance Abuse issues and addiction issues but at the end of the day, you must stop the flood on the supply side. And the governor says she supports the to secure the southern borders she has taken no action to do that and said a few words on what that means. Lets go to schools. What if any should the role should the kansas governor play in the cap classroom instruction deciding what should be kept on School Library shelves . Because it is governor and other leaders in kansas have to be a voice for the people we want to represent. I think the decisions are made locally or by our official such as elected readers in the board of education or perhaps legislature when the law is appropriate. But the bottom line is, so many kansas kids and families are suffering right now because their kids were locked down in schools their lives were disrupted they are dealing with Serious Mental Health issues we have to do far more to help those parents and families and kids whose voices have not been heard and i think thats an appropriate response. First and foremost it is the governors responsibility to ensure our Public School system is fully funded and we have done that. For the past four years. And i also think its a for the government to be a champion of our schools and teachers and parents. And i have done that. I have been very strong advocate for the Public School system ever since i gashed ever since i came to kansas and to the senate i will continue to do that. I have said often that i want my legacy to be that kansas has the most robust comprehensive Early ChildhoodEducation System in the country and we are working well now with our businesses to ensure that that legacy is the field. We know that kids are having a lot of Mental Health issues far before the pandemic we were developing Mental Health services in our schools in partnership with our community centers. 30 seconds to rebut. Kansas schools constitutionally funded i have committed to do that and im going to do that as any governor would because its legally required of the state. But it is not enough to just write the check. It does not accomplish what we need for kids to fully fund schools and then locked them out of it and not stand up in support mental involvement. Parental involvement. Parents are more involved than they were because they saw up close and personal the things that happen with their kids and they want more involvement we must have that for them. Yeah, i have a hard time being lectured by you derek about our Public Schools. That is remembered that it was you who was in the court defending the cuts to Public Education under the brown administration. California has been making the National Headlines and becoming the first state that same by 2025 we will not sell new gas powered vehicles you can still drive drive your old ones but you cannot sell them. Will you roll out such a plan in kansas in the next four years but is the biggest change you would pose for the environment if not . We just landed the panasonic electric battery factory that will go a long ways to ensuring that we do move to electricity. Kansas is uniquely focused to lead the way in this area of renewable energy. We are strong on wins, solar, biofuels, and hydrogen. When i think about Climate Change and those kind of things i see it as a huge job creation opportunity for our state. We are doing everything in our department of commerce and department to ensure that we are bringing those kinds of companies to our state to further our economy but also to contribute to cleaner energy. I think we did not hear the governors answer to the question which is whether she would advocate policy like california my answer to that is no. Kansas is a wonderful place and we did not want to be like california. And i did not think the demanding control of roaches not the right way to deal with energy policy. I support all of the above Energy Policies that think that has to move and if things are going to move this into that space but it will also have to improve Traditional Energy source because there are many kansas families that are struggling financially today because of spending and joe bidens invasion. I stood up and fought back against many of the overreach and regulatory actions of the Biden Administration that continue to add to the cost of energy. So far the governor has taken a stance on that. I think i am on the record is also being all of the above roach to our Energy Issues i will continue to do that. That i do think that moving forward we have more renewables that i think kansas needs to jump on that opportunity to bring the businesses up. Enough said let me go back an unhealthy recession of predecessors eight years ago but the fact of the batteries no matter how many times she says the fact of the matter is kansans are worried about what i former governor did then they are about the States Administration it has every single day thinking lives harder and more expensive. One of the states is a refusal to stand up to the Biden Administration when he does things like contacted kansas gas and oil industry that is so critical for this. Thank you so much. Across the state line missouri voters signed in november whether to legalize marijuana and they already approved it for be additional and kansas is one of three states to legalize marijuana in any form. With that change if governor schmidt during the second kelly the Public Opinion decides these issues. Anybody wanting the Public Opinion in this country is the direction and permissiveness and more access to cannabis based audits. Here is my thought on the issue, i see people every day whose lives are destroyed or made worse because of addiction issues and i think that is not a good land. You have to stand up and stand strong in this area. I recognize they are heartwrenching humanitarian cases like veterans with tsd were kids was seizure disorder or late date Cancer Patients trying to manage a where the vast vast majority of people would say a bona fide legitimate medical doctor ought to be able to treat and help that person with whatever substance makes the most sense. I think the challenge from the governor standpoint is having leadership saying how do we accomplish that widely shared view without slinging and doing this the wrong way and turning kansas into colorado which i think we are not. I am glad you finally agree with me. I dont think as far back as the state you did not but i have fully supported legalize medical marijuana for years. I was ranking minority member on health and welfare committee. And i was in the room when the parents were bringing kids over to as seizure disorder that kids have hundreds of seizures per day. They were in pain and needed our help and they need the the same families have moved to colorado to be able to secure health care for their kids i do not want to do that. I want to take care of our veterans with tsd and i want to take care of full with chronic kate chronic pain. But i want to deal with the opioid addiction problem in this economy and this will go a long way in helping solve that. Now that we have ground broken here i think the issue to Public Policy is how do you draw that line . How do you make sure that we dominate things in the vast majority that people agree on and not fling open the door essentially Recreational Use without implementation. The governor offered no sin just in on how to draw that line. I would insist that kansas Law Enforcement leaders are at the table and a meaningful to that discussion online drawing and every step along the way because they are the ones that deal with the consequences in our community. I have had those conversations and i have often said that we will not do this with the way that colorado did. Where there was a shop on every corner. This would be a real well regulated industry that make sure that that medical marijuana is being used appropriately and not inappropriately. We will not let it spread like wildfire. New york city eric adams has been making the headlines of past few weeks after declaring in the News Conference thate of. Why he picked on kansas is quite clear but remarkably eggs to Digital Technology adams is watching the debate right now. What would you tell him . I would ask him to return my phone call. You know, i actually called the mayor of the day after or try to reach the mayor the day after two let him know that my daughter and soninlaw and my brandnew granddaughter will be delivering a thank you package to the new york layer new york mayor for putting kansas more on the map and more favorable way. So i do want to do that and i am continuing to work to do to reach him. Well i think my first reaction was mayor who . At the end of the day, it does not make a lot of difference of what the mayor of new york says. In this case, it probably does matter which is why would also push back on this. We are proud of our state and we do not want new yorks brand. I say that with all respect to the people that live in new york city. But under the Center Leadership this mayor and the folks that run new york right now their brand is more crime, violence, less human support, higher costofliving, all things i am running for governor that i make sure we did not do here in kansas. I do not think we need a rebuttal on that question is that fair . All right we will move on sometimes it one of the biggest concerns for kansans this cost we can alone this hotel and 100 cars of square block area from a gated senior facility 100 vehicles what is the single most important action you can take as governor to reduce this . Support them in women in