Congressional District 4 candidates match up in debate at Temple Sinai

Candidates for Nevada's newest congressional seat tackled an array of thorny issues during a Sunday morning debate, with a little intervention from a higher power who kept the conversation on track.

Republican Danny Tarkanian and Democrat Steven Horsford, each seeking to represent the 4th Congressional District, discussed war, abortion, taxes, and other issues in less than an hour during the event at Temple Sinai in Summerlin.

The questions came from audience members, but it was moderator Howard Beckerman who pushed the candidates to stay on topic and avoid personal attacks.

"This is a house of the Lord, let's keep it respectable," Beckerman said at the outset.

In addition to covering Medicare and Social Security, two issues over which the candidates have already clashed, they responded to broader questions that touched on each other's outlooks on governing.

On reproductive rights for women, for example, Beckerman asked the candidates to outline their positions on abortion and the morning-after pill, a form of emergency contraception.

"I believe through my faith that life starts at conception, and if life starts at conception you have to do what you can to preserve life," said Tarkanian, a Catholic, adding, "I certainly don't think we can do anything to prevent the morning-after pill from moving forward and wouldn't do anything to do so."

The abortion question prompted Horsford to give one of his most forceful and direct responses of the morning.

"I support women's rights with their doctor to choose what they do with their bodies," he said. "I as a husband and as a father of a daughter cannot tell them what is in their best interest. They have to decide that for themselves."

One of Tarkanian's most direct responses was to a question about the war in Afghanistan.

The Republican said American forces should leave the country, having fulfilled their duty to capture or kill Osama bin Laden and others who perpetrated the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States.

"Our country is going broke because of the amount of money we are spending there," Tarkanian said. "We already killed the perpetrator and, according to our president, we have dismantled the terrorists. Well then, let's get out of that country; let's put the money back into the United States where it belongs."

On the same question Horsford said he supported troop decreases in Afghanistan but stopped short of calling for the full-scale removal Tarkanian described.

"But let's be clear, we have to make sure that we protect the United States and our interests around the world and I will continue to do that because I believe in a strong military," Horsford said.

On taxes, Horsford said tax rates on wealthy Americans should be allowed to revert to what they were during President Bill Clinton's administration and Tarkanian said he would prefer to make the tax code simpler by reducing loopholes while leaving rates alone.

There were also some instances in the debate where candidate responses fell flat with the audience of several dozen people, which included supporters of each candidate.

Tarkanian won some polite applause for saying he would vote to overturn the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, while keeping some popular aspects of the law.

The audience was silent when Horsford said he supported the law.

At another point, an attempt by Tarkanian to play to the crowd backfired.

The Republican lost the audience while describing how he supported the notion of allowing people to choose between traditional Medicare or a private voucher system, similar to what has been proposed by the Republican vice presidential nominee, Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis.

"You have the option to have the insurance congressmen and senators have or stay in Medicare," Tarkanian said. "Isn't that a great way to get started?"

"No," responded several audience members.

On a question about which congressional committee each candidate would like to join, it was a Horsford response that instigated some bickering and drew a scolding from the moderator.

Tarkanian said he would prefer the financial services committee because it would be a platform to push for the return of a separation between commercial and investment banking, the removal of which some attribute as a cause for the financial collapse.

Horsford began his answer by trying to mock Tarkanian's response.

"Steve, I'm asking which committee you would sit on," Beckerman interjected.

After responding he would like to serve on the transportation committee to help deliver more infrastructure funding to Nevada, Horsford returned to the previous attack.

Tarkanian tried to talk over Horsford and Beckerman shut the exchange down.

"All right, both of you, knock it off," he said.

Contact reporter Benjamin Spillman at bspillman@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0285 .