A wide-ranging debate between the candidates for the 25th Congressional District on Tuesday night showed a lot of differences between the longtime Democratic incumbent, Louise Slaughter, and Republican Town of Gates Supervisor Mark Assini.
It’s the second go-round for this matchup, with Assini losing by less than 900 votes two years ago.
The debate was sponsored by the League of Women Voters and News 8 - WROC-TV.
One of the more heated arguments developed when Assini raised questions about how much Slaughter was a part of bringing the photonics project to Rochester, and whether more credit should have gone to Republican Congessman Tom Reed.
Slaughter: “One of the things I am most proud of Mark, in three legislatures I’ve served in, is my integrity has never been questioned a single time.”
Assini: “I’m not suggesting it was”
Slaughter: “There’s no way I would like about something like that, that I think is maybe one of the big things that will really move this area along, I am not about to do that.
Assini: “I’m not suggesting you’re lying.”
Slaughter: ”Yes you did.”
Assini: ”Tom Reed wrote the bill, Tom Reed and Joe Kennedy sponsored it.
Slaughter: “He wrote the bill to keep it going.”
Slaughter has been in office for 30 years and that longevity brought up the issue of term limits, which is something Assini would like to see.
Assini said that, “going beyond just the fact that I think you lose track of the district, I think when you’re in Washington too long there becomes these partisan divides and they get greater and greater. I think term limits tend to eliminate that and it gets new ideas, fresh ideas.”
Slaughter isn’t a believer in creating term limits since she says that is already part of the electoral process.
“We’re asked about term limits a lot and people think those are good. I am term limited every two years, I come in, and we run for Congress again, people have a chance every two years if they want to, to vote against me. I’m very blessed that they have not.”
Slaughter also took Assini to task for anti-gay comments he either made or endorsed on a blog several years ago. Assini says his position on gay rights has evolved since then.
Slaughter and Assini also differed on a number of other topics including the Affordable Care Act, fracking, and renewable energy.
