The final debate between Alaska's U.S. Senate candidates Thursday night revealed three ideologically divided candidates, and one attempting to campaign in 2008.
An Alaska Public Media Debate for the State showed the candidates — Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Libertarian Joe Miller, independent Margaret Stock and Democrat Ray Metcalfe — divided on key issues: Supreme Court, abortion, and how to get along in Congress.
The candidates disagreed on how to manage upcoming debate over judicial nominees. The Supreme Court currently has only eight justices, after Senate Republicans refused to hold hearings on President Barack Obama's nominee to replace Justice Antonin Scalia after his death.
Stock accused Murkowski of stonewalling. The delay so far is already an example of "rank partisanship" that is "hurting Alaskans," Stock said.
Miller, to the contrary, accused Murkowski of rubber-stamping nominees.
Murkowski denied both charges.
She said she voted against Obama's Supreme Court justice nominees Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor. Over stonewalling on the current nominee, she claimed no power, saying that she does not run the judiciary committee and could not make the chairman hold a hearing. In a general sense, Murkowski said she will always vote for "cloture" on nominees, which ends debate, favoring allowing an "up or down vote" on any nominee, from either party.
That brought Murkowski's most-likely-to-be-replayed statement of the debate.
Murkowski argued that Miller distorted her views, and said she does not necessarily approve of Obama's latest Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland, but only thinks the Senate approval process should go forward.
"I'm not sure you can have it both ways," Miller said to her.
"You can absolutely have it both ways," Murkowski responded.
Miller argued that Garland is a "radical justice that's going to take away your Second Amendment rights," and said he would fight the nomination "if I have to stand for a week" filibustering a vote in the Senate. "That's what I'm obligated to do to protect your rights," he said.
Miller also focused on the courts in his response to questions about abortion, which he opposes. Miller's campaign is backed by anti-abortion advocates, and he said he would focus on allowing approval of only judges who view the Constitution's provisions as protective of the unborn.
Murkowski said she doesn't like abortion, but is careful to defend women's health services and the requirement that federal dollars not pay for abortions.
Stock gave full-throated support to abortion rights and federal funding for Planned Parenthood, which she said offers "great efforts to reduce abortions" through "family planning."
The candidates showed their view of Congress clearly in responses to a question about relationships in Washington, D.C.: who they would work with if elected.
Metcalfe said he'd take Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren and independent Bernie Sanders as mentors.
Stock said she'd look for hard-working independents, like Maine Sen. Angus King.
Murkowski said she'd work with anybody, listing off names of her current colleagues across the political spectrum and arguing that bridging differences is the way to get things done.
And Miller argued that getting along is the problem with Congress. "It's a club. And it's a club that's destroying America," he said. Nevertheless, he pointed to Sanders, who "wants to reign in the big financial powers," and Utah Sen. Mike Lee, who has worked to expand access to fossil fuels. (Both were names mentioned by lawmakers before him.)
Metcalfe, the Democratic candidate who has gathered no financial support from the Alaska Democratic Party, was perhaps most defined by a bizarre exchange midway through the debate, focused on someone who is no longer a member of Congress.
Offered the chance to ask any candidate a question, Metcalfe railed at Stock about the real estate dealings of former Sen. Mark Begich (D), accusing someone who wasn't on the stage of taking bribes nearly a decade ago. (He forgot, during that exchange, to mention that Begich has endorsed Stock.) Stock said she didn't know what he was talking about, and Metcalfe talked up his anti-corruption efforts nearly a decade ago.