This was the one and only televised debate between incumbant Senator Kit Bond and
Nancy Farmer in Missouri's U.S. Senate race.
The Springfield News-Leader ran this article covering the event on the front page of today's paper.
http://www.news-leader.com/today/1013-USSenateho-200320.html
READ STORY BELOW:
Published October 13, 2004
U.S. Senate hopefuls split on influence, experience
In debate, Bond cites success with funding; Farmer seeks to aid people.
By Scott Charton
Associated Press
Columbia -- Republican Sen. Christopher "Kit" Bond and Democratic challenger Nancy Farmer clashed Tuesday night about their experience and issues from highway repairs to battling methamphetamine.
Bond, a former two-term governor, said his record, including delivering millions in federal money to Missouri over 18 years in Washington, justified a fourth term.
"Experience matters," the incumbent declared on a stage at the University of Missouri-Columbia in the only televised debate between Bond and Farmer. Bond unabashedly linked himself to President Bush: "We are safer and the world is safer because we supported the president."
Farmer, the one-term state treasurer and a former state representative, said Bond has delivered federal pork but hasn't focused on the needs of working people.
"There's a difference between working for Missouri and working for Missourians," Farmer said as she stood next to Bond and two third-party candidates.
Bond and Farmer criticized one another in their opening statements and kept it up during the 90-minute debate:
- Despite Bond's long tenure and chairmanship of a key transportation panel, Missouri still doesn't receive $1 back for highways for each $1 it sends to Washington, with several cents taken by northeastern states, Farmer said. Bond replied that when he arrived in the Senate, Missouri was receiving just 77 cents back for every dollar for transportation programs -- and that he has steadily boosted Missouri's return.
- Bond took credit for sending millions to help Missouri raid and clean up meth labs. But Farmer said Missouri continues to lead the nation in meth lab busts -- more than 2,000 last year -- indicating the problem isn't declining.
- Farmer called for allowing imports of prescription drugs from Canada to combat soaring U.S. prescription prices -- and said Bond wasn't working for that, because he accepted campaign contributions from drug manufacturers profiting by discouraging imports. Bond said he has voted to allow drug imports, so long as federal regulators are convinced the medicines are safe.
Also participating were Libertarian Kevin Tull and Don Griffin of the Constitution Party, who agreed on many issues, returning to philosophical arguments that the federal government is too big and has overstepped its constitutional boundaries.