Sixth District candidates square off in third and final debate

Sixth district congressional candidates faced off for the third and final time today.

The debate at KSTP-TV drew more heated exchanges between GOP Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, DFLer Tarryl Clark, and Independence Party candidate Bob Anderson.

Here's my story about their remarks on Social Security and abortion.

Bachmann was asked about the criticism that she is more concerned with her national reputation than her constituents. She said she hears from 6th District residents who are glad she's a voice of dissent nationally.

Create a More Connected Minnesota

MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.

I went to go ahead and fight to take their views to D.C. And I've been a very vocal advocate for what people in the 6th District believe. I grew up here; this is where my church and family is. I'm from Anoka Minnesota. And I've taken those voices on national TV and I've taken those voices in Washington, and I fought this Pelosi-Obama agenda.

Clark was asked about her voting record on taxes and whether she preferred tax hikes to spending cuts. She said spending cuts were her first choice.

We've worked hard in the state senate, usually bipartisanally, to find ways to be streamlining government, making it more effective and efficient, to be making sure we're doing the hard decisions, and we brought down that spending. That is the first and most important thing. There is still a lot more wasteful spending in Washington.

Anderson was asked about the Star Tribune editorial board's statement that he had no original ideas about how to balance the budget and that a vote for him would be a wasted vote. He responded thus:

That's a ringing endorsement for me. When the most liberal paper in the country is going up and telling people not to vote for a right-leaning conservative independent in the most conservative district in the state, I consider that a ringing endorsement, and that paper ought to be ashamed of themselves.

You can listen here to my story about their second debate, held at MPR.

And here's my story about their debate in St. Cloud.