Have asked everybody here to refrain from applause or any other interruptions, except for right now, as we welcome republican path the path toomey and democrat Katie Mcginty. Applause. We are so glad thaw are here to look forward to a terrific debate here tonight. Now, before we begin, a quick note on some of the ground rules. Each candidate will have one minute to answer the question posed to them, followed by a one minute response, or rebuttal. And, to the candidate the personal message from me i hope to cover a lot of ground here tonight, and so, i hope you wont think that im disrespectful if i really try to hold you to your time limits, and i will need your help and would appreciate your help with that. Candidates will also have 90 seconds at the end of the debate for a closing statement. By random draw the first question knittings to Katie Mcginty. Miss mcginty few issues arent pennsylvania stirs passions more than the issues have of guns and gun violence and the Second Amendment. You support background checks and assault weapons ban, and a ban on high capacity ammunitions clips and no flying no guns list. One of the countrys most visible advocates of gun control former Arizona Congress woman Gabby Giffords has endorsed your opponent. If giffords were in this this room, what would you say to her. Well, would i say to her, first, jim, thank you for having us and thanks to all of you fortuning in and being here with us tonight. First thing would i say to Gabby Giffords is to thank her for her server, witness and leadership. You you are right issue have of gun violence is a critical issue, some 300,000 People Killed over the last decade, through gun violence. I would take a leadership role and proud to be endorsed by organizations like seized fire pennsylvania. Because, i think that there is common drawn to be haddon this issue. You know, i come from a family where my brothers were hunters. Sports hen. I dont think that is the issue. But coming together on common sense issues like not letting terrorist buy guns in this country i think we can get it done. But to get it done you have to stick with it and that is difference i have with senator toomey. He gave his name to the bill but then said when bill only failed by a couple of votes, the senate has spoken, lets move on. Let democrats take the lead. Im ready to take the lead on this critical issue. Mr. Toomey. Thanks, jim. It is good to see you back in the seat. Glad you are doing well. Thanks to temple for hosting this and i want to thank high many family and friend who came down from the the Lehigh Valley and greater philadelphia to be here. Jim, i approached this issue as somebody who is a strong believer in the Second Amendment. I think that is a very important, personal right that we have, and it is properly in the constitution. It just never occurred to me that a three minute background check to try to prevent somebody who has no legal right to a firearm, that this anyway infringes on Second Amendment rights. So i got together with joe mansion after had was probably the most painful heating i ever had when i sat down with the families of sandy hook, the parents whose little babies were massacred. Those families, they werent asking us to ban all categories of guns or do anything, unreasonable. Help said cant we make progress on a background check. Joe hangs and i put together a bill. We had three votes on that bill. I still support that. I intend to reintroduce that. We ought to keep firearms out of the hand of the people hoff no legal right to it. But Katie Mcginty just the point of politicizing everything and hyper politics, and drives people apart and prevents us from finding Common Ground. Mr. Toomey, perhaps a woman is running for president has a long standing issue of profound importance to be a visible issue of this campaign and that is equal pain for women. According to wallet hub. Com pennsylvania is now the fourth worst state in the country when it comes to gender pay equity and World Economic forum places the United States 28th in the world. There is something called a paycheck fairness act. It would require businesses to explain why wage gaps exist between their male and female employees and impose tougher penalties against employers for wage discrimination. Five times you have voted to reject the paycheck fairness act. Are we to think that accurately describes how you feel about a womans right to make as much money as a man. So jim, the fact is i have grown up, and then blessed to have a family with strong women i admire a lot. Starting with my mom, my three sisters, all of whom have worked very successfully. My wife, who had a wonderful career, before we got harried. I have a 16 yearold daughter. You Better Believe i want her to have every opportunity and to be compensated as well as my sons, might be some day. The fact is though, the legislation that you alluded to was ruled by even the Washington Post editorial page no conservative editorial page that one as a boone dog will for trial lawyers and in the something that would make progress. I have supported legislation, that makes it illegal to discriminate on the basis of the gender of a worker. I have voted for legislation, that makes it illegal for employers to retaliate against workers who share information about their pay. And i feel very strongly that women ought to get every opportunity and same level of compensation as men. But i will tell you also thank you, we have to move on. Im sorry, miss mcginty. Thanks, jim. This country was founded on a bargain you work hard, you get ahead. The truth, that families and women, women in families are working as hard as they necessity how. Two jobs, three jobs. But they are not keeping up with the cost of child care. The cost of college. And, just basic needs that every family has. I believe that we need to honor hard work and so yes, im for increasing the minimum wage and enabling families to provide for themselves. I am for insuring that a women doing the same job as a man is able to bring home that same paycheck. The these are critical issues. I do disagree with senator toomey. You know, it is not enough to have platt dudes or to say i think highly of women. Family need income to support themselves. The senator has voted against equal pay. He voted against increasing minimum wage. He agrees with donald trump that the problem in this country that people are making too much. That is not the what i see. Voted many times against College Affordability as well. This has helped family needs and family needs and i will fight for those families. Miss mcginty your opponents claim that you were hand picked to run for the senate by the democratic machine in washington and will be a rubber stamp for the democratic leadership, and Hillary Clinton should she be elect president. I think we all agree voters like an independent voice. Can you tell us about one issue where you disagree with your party or your potential president. Well, thanks jim. I do stand with secretary clinton because she is focused on standing up for families and rebuilding the middle class. I think it would be helpful this late date in this election if senator toomey would similarly let voters know help is voting for donald trump or not. We will get to that miss mcginty but im asking you about where you disagree. I have one test, in serving the people of this commonwealth. Any issue, any idea does it serve our interests as a state and families working hard in this state. Ill tell you there are some issues i disagree with secretary clinton on. For example, i agree that it was wrong to set up, Guantanamo Bay. We know that has been a tool that has been used against us by terrorist as general petraeus and others have said. But i cannot today say that we should close Guantanamo Bay because im concerned that we have those who would return to the battle field against us. But i know this, secretary clinton will fight working families, and that is what im going to do as well. Mr. Toomey, you have been taking a little heat for refusing to say if you will vote for donald trump for president. I know you have been waiting for this debate, in fact, i know you have been waiting for this moment, to say whether or not you will vote for the nominee of your party. So is it yes or no. So jim, unlike Katie Mcginty, im not a hyper partisan, who thinks he has to give blind obedience to his parties nominee. Katie mcginty does that, i dont. There are things that concern me a great deal about donald trump. I have criticized him repeat thely, publicly, because i think he said terrible things. I think he has taken some very badly flawed positions. I acknowledge that nominee of my party is flawed. Katie mcginty is just blindly obedient to Hillary Clinton. She cant acknowledge a inning will flaw in what is on the democratic side the most badly flawed candidate in decades. She cant even acknowledge dishonesty that we see on a regular basis. Maybe that is because Katie Mcginty began her own campaign a lie about her own background. First in her family to go to college when she knew her older brother had already gone to college, graduated and come back here to temple for a graduate degree before she ever even graduated from high school. So maybe, it is Katie Mcgintys problem with the truth that allows her to overlook Hillary Clintons chronic lies. So, i get that means you have not been waiting for this debate. That is exactly right, jim. In one second, i will let you. Thank you. Now, senator toomey, you know that there are detractors of yours who will say that you are not the complete liz disa vowing trump because you need his supporters to win this election. What do you say to that accusation. I have refused to endorse donald trump, Katie Mcginty says that is supporting donald trump. That doesnt make any sense. The dilemma is this, jim donald trump is a badly flawed candidate but if he were president , he would probably sign a bill repealing obama care which we need. Wow sign a bill that would restore sanctions on iran which we badly need. So there is this dilemma. If Hillary Clinton is the president , we will have a doubling down on all of the failed policies that have endangered us around the world, weakened our economy and Katie Mcginty supports. Im like a lot of pennsylvanians i know because i talk to them on a regular basis who feel stuck. Who feel like i cant believe in a country of 300 Million People we have got these two choices, and Katie Mcginty cannot acknowledge a inning will flaw in the nominee of her party. So look im not going to badger you to Say Something that you will not say. But dont you think your constituents, people of pennsylvania deserve to know if you are going to support the nominee of your party. I dont think my constituents care how much how one person will vote. They will make their own decision across the commonwealth about whom they will support and whom they will not support. I think they care much more about whether ive got policies that will help grow this economy. I have got policies that will help keep us safe. That is the contrast on which they will make their decision. You wanted to Say Something. I do, jim. Senator is in a class of his own on this issue. He is only person running for United States senate in the entire country who has not leveled with his constituents. Heres what i want to share with people here. In philadelphia the senator will say he has differences and disagreements with donald trump but in other parts of the state, jim, what we hear from the senator is how excited he will be to confirm President TrumpSupreme Court nominees. In other parts of the state, is the senator saying that he thinks donald trump has put forward incredibly constructive ideas. Senator, in politics the definition of courage, character is doing what is right even if it cost you votes. Someone needs to tell katie this is televised statewide, katie, sorry, if you didnt know that. Lets move on. Mr. Toomey, the First American has been killed in the campaign to recapture mosul from isis. Last february you appeared to object to president obamas guarantee that the war against isis would never require american boots on the ground, beyond our current advisory role. You said this quote we have to recognize that u. S. Military has capabilities that in one else on the planet has, and if were going to be successful in this it will take american presence. In your estimation, sir, will it be necessary to send Ground Forces to fight isis and if a vote were to come up in the senate to that effect, would you vote yes. Jim, i dont think it will take and i dont think it would be a good idea to launch a large scale invasionry force. We do need men and women hoff capabilities that the iraqis dont have. Frankly they never should have been pulled out of iraq and we would never be in this situation. We need people to help were looking sticks, traffic control, medical evacuation, technology that the the iraqis simply dont have. We must absolutely defeat isis. But i have to tell you i think an even bigger medium term threat for us in that region is rise of iran and middle east which is a direct result of the president obamas very mistaken policy. This Iran Nuclear Deal which endangering all of us and that Katie Mcginty fully supports, what iran posts now is a very, very Serious Nuclear armed, ballistic missle capable, regional threat that runs from afghanistan to the mediterranean. Isis is we will talk about that. I hope we will, jim. We will. What i want to know is do you believe that americans should be deployed to the front lines to fight isis at some point in time. As i said, jim, i think it is the american contributions on the ground should be that of special ops, sophisticated. Only. Yeah, i think it is leadership. Bulk of the the Ground Forces need to come from the kurdish fighters, Sunni Arab States that are necessary to secure peace afterward. America can provide logistics, leadership, and technologically sophisticated capabilities. Miss mcginty. Jim, it is imperative that we defeat and destroy isis. I believe that means one hour air strikes supporting local troops, not our combat troops. It means second that we have to cut off Financial Life blood of ice is, including their access to oil assets and third, that we have to take them on in cyberspace, as well. What is very troubling to me about senator toomeys record is that he hasnt shown up for many of the key hearings and meetings. In fact, the senator has missed some 90 percent of the Key Committee hearings and heatings on our Critical National security issues. When the senator has shown up, his votes have been in the direction that takes down our security instead oven hanses our security. For example, the senator voting against legislation that would will move forward enclosing close something loop holes in the visa waiver program, critical waiver legislation. Senator voted against not the once but twice that would close a loop hole that will allow terrorist to buy guns in our country. Thank you. Question for you on the the economy. There is a frightening prospect for something called a new normal in the economy. A Federal Reserve economist by the name of john, just a week ago, said that the long Term Economic growth in this country could actually settle at 1. 5 percent for years to come. A new normal. That would mean slower Economic Growth, fewer jobs, workers wages and Living Standards would increase more slowly, or even fall in absolute terms. Should you be elected what would your specific blueprint be for fighting the new normal. Well, jim, i think we need to ensure that people have training and job training and apprenticeship programs so we have skills develop many. We can put people back to work in jobs like rebuilding our infrastructure. It is part of the reason that we do need to pay people a decent wage and enable people to fully engage in the work force by helping them, with the cost of child care for example. That is why senator toomeys proposal to hold back Economic Growth. But we know Small Businesses are the engine of Economic Growth and job creation. That is why learning that senator toomey had launched a bank, his bank has foreclosed in such a predatory behavior against Small Businesses right here in pennsylvania. It is killing jobs, hurting those businesses, that senator toomeys own Bank Practices are literally considered illegal, and predatory in 30 plus states. That is a track record of yes, the senators working for himself and his own profitability but he has hurt those Small Business that is were creating good jobs. Mr. Toomey. Yes, jimmy want to talk about my Small Business background i have with my family and how it gets this economy going but