The two candidates vying to become the next U.S. Senator from Wisconsin met for a second debate on Saturday Night. Democratic incumbent Tammy Baldwin went head to head with Republican state Sen. Leah Vukmir. If there was one thing Baldwin and Vukmir wanted people to take away, it’s that they are different.
“Sen. Baldwin is someone who is extreme, represents the extreme of her party. Sen. Baldwin looks to government for all of her solutions. I’m a mom with a cause who just got into action because I was concerned about the overreach of government in my daughter's classroom,” Vukmir said.
When it came to Baldwin, she had her take on Vukmir.
“Do you want a Senator who is going to stand up for Wisconsin? Or do you want a Senator who is going to stand up with the special interest as she did repeatedly with the big insurance companies in her votes in her 16 years as a politician in the Wisconsin legislature,” Baldwin said.
Not surprisingly, the two women disagreed on almost every question asked throughout the hour-long debate.
On the subject of whether marijuana should be legalized or not: Baldwin said she would be voting yes to the referendum that will appear on her Nov. 6 ballot, but stopped short of saying she would push for a law that would open the door for the legalization of marijuana at the federal level.
“When something is deemed to have no medical value, then there’s no publicly funded research. So, we don’t know the facts, except for what has been discovered through research in other countries, or whatever privately funded research has been done. And that’s a problem because we need to know if this is an effective alternative to other drugs for glaucoma or for wasting syndrome or for any number of other conditions,” Baldwin said.
Vukmir believes issues such as this one should be settled at the state level and disagrees with those who want to legalize marijuana.
READ: Baldwin & Vukmir Face Off In First Debate
“I have very serious concerns about the legalization of marijuana and people know that I have said that. I look at marijuana and the fact that it is a Schedule I drug, which we know means there are no medical indications for its use. And therefore I believe it is very concerning that Sen. Baldwin would be willing to open this up,” Vukmir said.
When it comes to a subject that has divided the country, the Brett Kavanaugh FBI probe and the #MeToo movement, Vukmir said even those accused deserve the benefit of the doubt.
“There were seven or eight background investigations already done and Sen. Baldwin decided after 48 hours — 48 hours after it was announced that Judge Kavanaugh was going to be the pick, Sen. Baldwin said that she wasn’t going to support him. I mean, this to me is unbelievable. The #MeToo movement requires that we hear from the woman who has made the allegations and we give due process to the person who was accused. And you didn’t have the decency Sen. Baldwin, to even meet with Judge Kavanaugh,” Vukmir said.
Baldwin maintained that she tried to meet with Kavanaugh but was denied by the Trump administration.
“I don’t believe that the White House allowed a full and fair investigation. I had a chance to review the FBI report on two occasions after it came out and it was clear that they limited access to witnesses — there were just a few, and didn’t follow tips or clues. I think it’s only fair that when somebody against all odds like Dr. Blaséy Ford that there should be a thorough review,” Baldwin said.
Polls show Baldwin leading Vukmir. The two candidates will meet for a third and final debate at Marquette University on Friday.
