Change the way things work in washington it, if we dont put , the answer will be no. It will not have the same opportunities. I will never shy away from the greatness of our country. I believe we have the ability to change washington. Colorado can be the vanguard of a movement to make sure that we are turning this country around and creating jobs and opportunity in fulfilling our moral obligation. Must pass on a stronger nation to our children and grandchildren. The greatest honor of my life has been to represent colorado in the senate. Weve accomplished a lot. Challenged with the floods and fires. Weve stood up and been raggedy collaborators. Ive been proud to be part that. Economy is coming back. There is more work to be done. We need to pass the minimum wage and respect womens place in the workplace. Elections are about the future. Competitions about vision and policy in style. There is a clear set of choices in the selection grid congressman gardner talks at representing a new generation. Do generation believes in Marriage Equality and immigration reform. It believes in womens reproductive rights. It believes in Climate Change. The new generation does not stand with congressman gardner. He doesnt believe in those things. Vote on november 4 because working together, we can keep this state moving forward. Thank you. [applause] campaign 2014 is bringing in more than 100 debates for control of congress. You can follow us on twitter. The conversation on women and the november elections. President ofto the prochoice america. Russell moore will join us. You can also join the conversation on facebook and twitter. The third virginia u. S. Senate debate with mark warner and his challenger. Senator warner is a businessman who was elected in 2008. Mr. Gillespie served in the george w. Bush administration and chaired the Republican National committee. The senate races listed as likely democrat. Welcome to the peoples debate. Tonight in a race for one of virginias u. S. Senate seat the candidates will answer questions. Some ground has been covered in prior debates. We will try to plow new ground. Lets introduce you to the candidates. And joining us are the former governor democrat mark warner and his challenger tonight, republican and gillespie. Tonights debate is broadcast on television stations throughout virginia and can join a live conversation about the debate on twitter using peoples debate. Heres a look at the guidelines. Candidates will answer questions from our panel of four enemy. Both will have 90 seconds to respond. The first candidate will have an additional 60 seconds to rebut. The candidates will alternate taking the First Response to each question and the signal will determine when their time is up. The candidates will have two minutes each for opening and closing statements. Who goes first has been decided by coin toss. Lets meet the panel. Joining us tonight is the president of the league of women voters of arlington. And the political porter reporter craig carper. And from anchor cheryl miller. It was determined that mr. Gillespie will go first. He will deliver his opening statement. A second coin toss has determined that he will get to answer the first question now. Let us start with opening statements. It is great to be with everyone here. I am running for the United States senate because they want future generations to have the same opportunities i have had. My grandfather was an immigrant janitor. My parents did not go to college. I got to be counselor to the president. We are losing that kind of Economic Opportunity and upward mobility as a result of the obamawarner policies. President obama says these policies are on the dollar this year, every single one of them and in voting with the president 97 of the time, mark warner has voted for every single one of them. These policies are making us less safe as a nation and making us less able to meet growing threats to our National Security and Public Health and safety. They are squeezing too many virginians between lost jobs, lower takehome pay, reduced working hours, and higher prices for health care, energy, and food. In virginia since the senator has taken office, 65,000 or woman have gone into poverty. For every net job we have created, to virginians have gone on food stamps and 250,000 have the Health Care Plans canceled as a result of the vote for obama care. This election presents a big choice. We can continue down the path of the obamawarner policies or we can take a new and better direction with my five point agenda for Economic Growth that would create jobs and raise takehome pay and lift people out of poverty and reduce energy prices. It is a choice between higher taxes and lower takehome pay or tax relief and increased wages. A choice between more debt or a balanced budget. More regulations on energy that kill jobs and drive up prices or unleashing American Energy to create jobs and hold down prices. My approach would ease the squeeze and make it easier for the unemployed to find work and i look forward to debating those issues here this evening. Thank you. It is good to see you. I would like to thank our hosts and all the virginians who are watching tonight. It has been a great honor to serve virginia. First as governor and now a senator. What brought me to Public Service was the notion that in america, everyone not to get a fair shot. Everyone ought to get a fair shot. And to make sure that sense of opportunity exists. We have to make sure people in washington can Work Together. That is what i did is your governor. We turned a deficit into a surplus and virginia got named the best managed state in the best state for business. I brought that same bipartisan approach to the u. S. Senate. That is why i am honored to have the endorsement of john warner who held this job for 30 years. And had more former legislators endorsing me this race than when i ran the first time. In the senate i have wrestled with issues like bringing down the debt and deficit. Making sure veterans get the care they deserve, bringing jobs back to virginia and making sure young people do not get crushed i student debt. On every issue that i have worked on i always start with a republican partner because that is how you get things done. My opponent has a different approach. He spent his whole career as a d. C. Lobbyist and partisan political operative. He sees every issue he even went out and called himself a partisan leader. I do not know about you but the last thing washington needs is another partisanawyer in either political party. The world needs a strong american. Economically, militarily, and morally. You have to have leaders that can Work Together. Thank you. Thank you. We will go to the questions as per the point toss. Mr. Gillespie will answer first. Lets go to christine goss. Thank you both for being here. Last year, the Supreme Court gutted the key section of the Voting Rights act that for decades had help you protect color from discriminatory voting laws. Legislation is pending to update the Voting Rights act. So that its full protections are once again in place. Presumably the bill will be reintroduced in the next congress. When you correspond cosponsor this legislation . I would look at that, i believe that it is free clarence. The Voting Rights act is critically important, must we enforced and this is one of the most sacred rights we have. People have shed blood in died. We saw here that the Voting Rights act is being enforced and we have district lines overturned and it is one example of why the federal courts are so important. It is an example why so many virginians are concerned about the recent reports that senator warner made a phone call talking about the potential of recommending the daughter of a state senator for the federal bench, a lifetime appointment. In relation to a political decision. Whether or not that senator would stay or leave came in the same timeframe as the story of the governors chief of staff making a job offer. This is very serious in terms of the federal bench has a big impact and we need to make sure that qualified people are put on the bench and i would never play politics with recommending judicial appointments and i would not raise the prospect of it in the context of a decision about expanding obamacare further in the commonwealth. Let me answer the question. I strongly would support that legislation. We need to expand Voting Rights. It is remarkable that we see all around the country efforts to restrict Voting Rights. Often times in a political posturing. I am not surprised my apartment would not be in support of expanding voter rights but lets do with the issue he just raised. I have been a friend of senator Philip Duckett and his family. When i heard that philip was considering resigning from the senate, i reached out to his son joseph and to find out what was going on. During that conversation, we brainstormed about possible opportunities for his sister. His sister had been a substitute state judge. She could not be confirmed. We talked about a lot of options. I did not offer her a job nor would i offer her any kind of position. The following day i talked to senator pocket. He decided he was going to resign. He even drafted his letter of resignation. I have been friends with them for long time and i respect the senators decision. Your rebuttal and bear in mind that republicans face similar accusation in this case commits a federal investigation as well. Let me be clear. I am talking about news reports and questions that are out there. The senator has answered the question here that i do not think is being asked. I am not saying a suggestion that he was offering a job and i understand the difference between the executive and legislative ranch. I can tell you this. The role as senator plays in the judicial nomination process is a critically important one and influential. The recommendations are made have a great aid in terms of what nominations are made. I have not seen anyone suggest that there was a job offer. There has been talk of private sector jobs with a federal contractor. Even that discussion raises questions about the notion of a lifetime appointment to the federal bench in relation to a political decision and to further the effort of expanding obamacare in the commonwealth of virginia, i do not know if that has been answered. It will address the second question starting with mr. Warner. This year the General Assembly reformed the sols but there have not been reform since all no children left behind. A major criticism of the Current System from teachers and administrators is that it does not celebrate progress made by struggling students who start from behind. What specific changes would you make to no child left behind . Crexendo if that no child left behind needs to be reformed or gotten rid of. I think the pendulum has swung way too far in terms of testing alone. I would argue that one of the things i have done that i am proudest of is what i was governor. We fixed virginias budget and made the largest investment in Public Education in virginia history and we need to have that kind of approach. The challenge is going to be not only how do we reform education but how do we adequately fund it. He talks about easing the squeeze or his commitment to virginians but he has taken one of the most important pledges of this campaign. It says in effect it is better to cut education, better to cut ella terry, better to cut support for seniors than two close a single tax loophole. I doubt with the debt and deficit. No serious person has said you have to look at both sides of the Balance Sheet. I know about that as a business person. Even republican members of the delegation have said taking the Grover Norquist pledge is an impediment to tax reform. You need education reform and a need to fund education. My opponent has already taken a pledge. He will not be able to reform or fund education. This is another debate where senator warner has made a flatout wrong statement. I do not sign any pledges. I have not signed the atr pledge in terms of repealing obamacare. I have made a pledge to the people of virginia that i will not vote to raise taxes on the floor of the United States senate. Senator warner has voted to raise taxes i a trillion dollars and they have been implemented. That is one of the reasons we have the lowest the perforce Participation Rate in 36 years and half of all recent College Graduates are unable to find fulltime quality jobs. I do not believe in raising taxes. I will make a pledge to my i will fight to lower taxes. That is one of the big choices in the selection. In the six years he has been there, our debt has gone up 7 trillion. We need education reforms. I support education reforms. You can see my Economic Growth agenda. If you believe in a society based on equal opportunity, you have to have quality schools. Butts go back to the pledge he took. Ive got the letter from Grover Norquist. You will go up above and beyond the pledge. We should not vote for anybody. Youould be happy to give Grover Norquist complement you on taking the pledge and going above and beyond the pledge print lets go back to what the effective at our. Saying it isup better to cut education, it is better to cut the military, it is better to get Senior Services rather than closing a tax loophole. Withant to hire somebody one hand tied behind their back. Lookedous group who has have said you have to look at both sides of the Balance Sheet trade what i did as governor and senator, there is a clear choice between the two candidates on this issue. Were going to go to our third question. Sus returns 80. Basis for older americans. How would you protect Social Security . We have to start with the point you just made. We must protect Social Security for todays seniors. Then we have to save it for future generations. With mend dollar are this evening. In will not be there for them. Younger, you or are looking at your retirement point getting a . 70 on the dollar of projected benefits because of the insolvency that is looming. We need to save Social Security and medicare for future generations so it is there for them. Senator warner voted to raise medicare. It did not extend the life of the program. We do take a serious look at what we need to do to reform those programs. That entails a number of things that would take bipartisan support. I think looking at retirement ats, we are looking increasing the retirement age to 67. We need to look at other options. Our children and their children will have the same benefit of a safety net in their retirement that my parents have had and that i will have. It will be there for me. People younger than me will be at risk. Security Social Security is important. The promise of it must still be there. The math doesnt work and more. There were 16 people working for everyone personal retirement. Three workinge for every person on retirement. We have to make changes. I have laid out some specific changes that i think ought to be considered. Underea that those people 35, if they would be willing to get cell security if it would be there. Maybe we out to raise the tax in terms of how much is taxed in terms of income. Are 80 andeople who above, we should increase the benefit because they are not living their savings. My opponent has a different approach. He was the major cheerleader for the bush cheney plan to privatize Social Security. Think of a had been legislation in the midst of the financial crisis. It wouldve been devastation. It wouldve been devastation for millions of seniors. Think after that crisis, he would no longer be an advocate for that. He wrote anar, editorial saying it was good for the country and good for the republican party. I strongly disagree with that great weve got to strengthen social scared and make sure it is still there. A topator warner has been staffer himself. He has worked for elected officials. I am running on my proposals. Policies own ideas and that im putting forward. About inflation. I appreciate senator warners recognition that that is an option that we should look at and i would look at it as well. So security and medicare as a whole. It is part of the social safety net. With Home Health Care providers in virginia beach. They are having their services slashed to pay for more obamacare. That means that the medicare population that is more second elderly and more poor than the broader population are going to find themselves not having access to Home Health Care. To myas so important mother. I want to protect it for seniors in the commonwealth. The next question will be addressed to mr. Warner. Reports overews it appropriate for elected officials to help find jobs for other lawmakers or their family members in exchange for their support . Theet me restate circumstances that you referred to. I have been friends with them for 20 years. Son i reached out to his before i talked to philip, i did not offer anyone any job. Nor what i. It where do weor go from here . Been a bits a tarnished over scandals. I hope we would come together with stricter ethics laws. We need stricter ethics laws. We need to make sure that we would restore trust in our political process. That starts with people who are willing to Work Together. Every who wont see problem to the lens of republican versus democrat. I have a record of being bipartisan, that is what i have done as governor and senator. Maybe it was a coin