Oregon Public Broadcasting

April Baer / OPB

With just days to go before ballots are mailed to voters, Republican Rob Cornilles and Democrat Suzanne Bonamici sparred in a televised debate, sponsored by KGW and The Oregonian.

They are the front-runners in the race to replace David Wu, representing Oregon's 1st Congressional District. 

The candidates hit a little harder, and addressed a few issues they've seldom approached so far during the campaign.

It didn't take long for Democrat Suzanne Bonamici and Republican Rob Cornilles mix it up on issues like the controversial TransCanada Keystone pipeline project -- Cornilles supports it; Bonamici doesn't.

And when the moderator instructed the candidates to pose questions to each other, Bonamici asked Cornilles to explain his stance on climate change.

"Science is always changing. I believe the climate is changing as well. How it's changing, I'm not going to stand here and say I know. I'm running for Congress, not scientist. I'm not going to stand here and suggest all scientists are in agreement, because they're not. It's not up the majority. What we need to do is focus on what we do agree on as Oregonians," Cornilles explained.

April Baer / OPB

Cornilles went on to say he's often taken his sons camping, and hoped to pass on to them the importance of protecting the environment.

Bonamici shot back. "Rob, it's not what you do in the environment, it's what you do about it. Climate change is serious, humans do contribute to climate change. It requires a serious approach, that I will bring to Congress."

When it was his turn to ask a question, Cornilles took the opportunity to call out Bonamici for failing to criticize former incumbent, Democrat David Wu, who resigned after allegations of a sexual assault.

Cornilles ran against Wu the year before the 1st District Congressman stepped down.

Bonamici's husband had done legal work for Wu, when Wu was defending himself from another political scandal in 2004. Bonamici countered that Cornilles should adhere to his own maxim that the race should not be about David Wu.

Their exchanges unpacked some policy points on entitlement reform.

Bonamici leveled a question at Cornilles citing interviews in regional papers in which Cornilles discussed his views on Social Security and Medicare.

Cornilles responded, "In this particular critical time of Social Security we have to ask ourselves: do the wealthy really need benefits in all cases? Could they be deferred? Be limited? This is the kind of responsible  thinking that goes into governance. I'm happy to be part of that discussion."

Cornilles says he was misquoted in a two-year-old article that indicated he'd trim entitlement spending before cutting the defense budget.

In her rebuttal, Bonamici prodded Cornilles on the details of various entitlement reform plans he'd mentioned.

"You've talked about the hybrid approach, you've talked about the Wyden approach, you've talked about Bowles-Simpson. Those involve privatization or cuts to benefits. I believe Social Security is a promise we've made to our seniors. I will work to protect, not privatize Social Security and Medicare," Bonamici said.

Bonamici and Cornilles agree that the economy and job creation are top priorities for the district, and they spoke in similar terms about the need for more spending on roads and bridges. 

Both say they would oppose the so-called Stop Online Piracy or SOPA bill, designed to expand the Justice Department's authority to police internet websites for copycat content.

"I think this SOPA Act has good intentions. But I also think right now, it has unintended consequences we need to pull back from," Cornilles said.

Bonamici was also wary, "I"m concerned about SOPA and the companion bill, called PIPA. We need to address online piracy and theft, but we need to do it in a way that avoids unintended consequences."

By the end of the debate, both candidates were returning to themes they've talked about many times before during the campaign.

Bonamici offered her credentials as an experienced legislator who's worked on complex issues.

Cornilles reminded the audience of his experience as a small businessman, and promised to uphold the moderate Republican traditions of Mark Hatfield and Tom McCall.

The wide-ranging debate  hints at where the candidates are headed as they move into the last intense weeks of the campaign. 

On the Web

KGW Coverage