Their first encounter was a verbal street brawl, but Republican U.S. Rep. John Porter and Democratic challenger Michael Kennedy were genteel Thursday in a debate of their differences on campaign reform, family leave and abortion.
The candidates running for the 10th Congressional seat, which stretches north from Wilmette to Wisconsin and west to Arlington Heights and Vernon Hills, debated in the studio of radio station WKRS in Waukegan.
Kennedy and Porter stated their opinions about solving the federal deficit problem, reviving the economy and raising taxes during the hour-long forum.
As before, the two agreed that solving the deficit and boosting the economy were the first priorities. To do that, they agreed to a mixture of spending cuts and tax increases.
But in the second of three debates scheduled during the last week of the campaign, the candidates tried to outline their differences in a race that has been characterized more by their similarities.
Kennedy continued his effort to paint Porter as an incumbent more responsive to the special interests in Washington than to the residents of the district. The 27-year-old Highland Park attorney has been trying to capitalize on the anti-incumbent mood.
Porter, 57, a 12-year incumbent from Wilmette, described himself as a congressman who has fought for constituents on issues ranging from getting federal money for local schools to introducing his own budgets in the mid-1980s to solve the deficit problem.
Probably the biggest difference between the two, who both claim to be fiscal conservatives and social liberals, emerged on federal funding for abortion.
Kennedy supports it; Porter does not. Both said they favor abortion rights.
”I think we do need to make sure we fund abortions because if we don`t, we`re denying almost 30 million women who fall into that system the true right to choose,” Kennedy said. ”And if we`re making a moral commitment that women do have the right to choose, we can`t only relegate it to those who are rich.”
Porter disagreed.
”I believe my opponent is basically saying he is for abortion on demand,” Porter said. ”I don`t agree with that. I think abortion is a very, very deep, personal, moral question. I am not in favor of abortion. What I am in favor of is choice. . . . I don`t think the government has any role in this private matter. Abortions for poor women should not be funded by the government.”
Another difference was the family leave bill that President Bush vetoed in late September.
Kennedy said he would have voted for the bill that would have given 12 weeks of unpaid leave for employees. Porter opposed it, saying the bill put additional mandates on businesses and would have put people out of work.
”I`d be very much for family leave for every employee in America provided we tied it to a revenue source that said, `Let`s tax ourselves and pay for it,` ” Porter said.
Kennedy said Porter`s response was typical of what`s wrong with Congress. ”This is the same kind of Washington-speak we`ve heard for years,”
Kennedy said. ”I`m for family leave, but I voted against it. I`m for this, but I voted against it.”
Kennedy said Porter`s waffling on family leave reflected how special interest and political action committee money has influenced the political process. If elected, he said he would support campaign-reform legislation that would limit the influence of special-interest groups and political action committees.
He also said he has not taken special-interest contributions in his long- shot bid for Congress, which also is his first campaign for public office. Kennedy has raised $50,000 in individual contributions.
”He (Porter) talks about campaign-finance reform, yet he is taking almost $100,000 from corporations, through PACs, who didn`t want family leave,” Kennedy said. ”I`m here to represent the district, not the companies, not the PACs.”
Porter`s campaign has raised $150,000, of which 35 percent, or about $22,000, is political action committee money. Porter said he supports campaign-finance reform that limits committee contributions.
