Transcripts For CSPAN2 Campaign 2020 Virginia U.S. Senate Debate 20240712

Virginia centered seeking a third term in november. Last night he based republican challenger, daniel debate sponsored by the Northern Virginia chamber of commerce. Topics included the Supreme Court, covid19 and police form. Welcome to the Virginia Senate similar mark warner and republican candidate, and you might be possible for the Northern Virginia chamber of congress, and nbc board report. Streaming on nbc washington. Com a few things are a bit different because of the pandemic and myself are all in separate locations, as you can see the audience, and said they are joining us virtually via zoom thanks to the Northern Virginia numbers. Provide an opportunity and on issues important to virginia voters the most pervasive in the last one hour and begin with one and a half minutes opening. From each candidate in our panels and i will post listen to the candidates, these questions determined by nbc news and the palace if not reviewed by the candidates or any debate partners. Each candidate will have one minute to respond in a candidate answering first will get an additional 32nd rebuttal. As moderator, i reserve the right to follow up as needed. Then we will conclude with one minute closing statement. This time keeper notifying each candidate has exploded we have candidates with limits, our panel is. During gilchrist. She is very and reporter alber alberto, all joining us on nbc studios in washington. Now the candidate both in virginia and democratic incumbent, senator mark warner. I use those skills in tough by partisan policy areas by formulated Wounded Warrior programs in the white house during a time in when congress and the white house were in different hands. And serving on a bipartisan National Council and disabilities, shaping policies that help the most disadvantaged members of our society. These are not left versus right issues. They are american issues. And outside campaigned around the commonwealth for the past 50 months ive consistently heard the same old same ideas hardworking for virginians. We face tough challenges right now and it will take a true commitment to working across the aisle with people on the other side to follow them. Recovering and economy in fixing our health care after covid shouldnt be a partisan idea. We all read the same air and drink the same water and the veteran suicide crisis has gotten worse, not better under the same old people, the same old ideas and the contrast between me and mark couldnt be more clear. Im a career server and with a mortgage and the everyday worries of middleclass life. Mark is a career partisans partisan who made millions off of political handouts and cynically talks about reducing influence prices for diabetic children while taking threequarters of a Million Dollars from big pharma and campaign contributions. If you are sick of career politicians lets choose a different path. Senator warner your opening statement. Warner thank you to the Virginia Chamber. I want to start by giving a shoutout to all the frontline workers especially our postal workers. I know today we are going to be sharing our differences but i do want to start by thanking mr. Mr. Gade Forest Service and a sacrifice i think we all know virginiana country are in challenging times. Ive 25 years in business here in virginia creating jobs. I then went to Public Service because i wanted to get stuff done and that means you have to work together. As governor for jan is the best managed state in the best state for business but as your senator up to proud add 55 in my field laws that cut red tape for Small Businesses, laws and improve our ship the link businesses and improves the quality of medicare and just last month the president signed by legislation that made the largest investment in our National Park service and helped create will help create 10,000 jobs here in virginia. Right now we know what they have got to do is save lives and get the economy started again and that means dealing with the coronavirus and that will require following defiance but the truth is even before the pandemic our economy was changing. We need leaders who understand that every virginian ought to have a fair shot in our tech driven economy. And that has been my focus my entire career. Its been the honor of my life to serve virginia and i hope to earn your vote again. Thank you. I want to begin on the topic of a Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader ginsburg step in what happens to receive and when. Dr. Sim sanika bevers question but explain the justification them pushing forward the election President Trump said when you have the senate and when you have the votes you can sort of do what you want as long as you have it. Doctors gade do you agree that statement you think the senate should proceed . I been a servant of the constitution for the past 25 years in the army and later as a political appointee in the Trump Administration and heres what i say about that. In 2016 i think the senate aired and not bringing Merrick Garland to an upordown vote because as as the president s authority in the senates responsibility to appoint and then neither confirm or to confute refused to confirm an and appointee. I agree with the 2016 mark mark tell us call bat flip mark icas the mark set do your job give him an upordown vote and i think they should have done that in 2016. The president s authority to appoint and the senates responsibility to either confirm or not confirm and appointee does not expire around the time of the election and its time for the senate to do their job and its time that the president appoint somebody is time for the senate to take a vote and lets do our constitutional responsibility. In this case the flip mark says thats a bad idea so is there going to be flip or flop . Moderator senator warner which president is incorrect from republicans the one in 2016 are the one they are doing now . Warner lets take a moment and reflect on the legacy of Justice Ginsburg. She was a great jurist. I have got 3 daughters in their 20s prevailed lived in a more open and just america because of Justice Ginsburg and i greet with mr. Gade i wish the senate had taken up Merrick Garland in 2016 but the rules changed. Mitch mcconnell said we wont do that. I think particularly now when virginians are already voting we ought to wait and let americans have their votes counted before we decide who becomes the next Supreme Court justice. The next Supreme Court justice is going to deal with incredibly important things. One of the first issues they will take up two weeks after the election is the viability of the Affordable Care act, something my opponent has criticized me for predicting the aca needs to same place because the only law that protects people with preexisting conditions as the aca. 20 million americans have health care, aca. Born a thousand virginians with Medicaid Expansion, aca. That is at stake along with a host of other issues. Moderator thank you senator. Doctors gade. Gaetz what do you sears a contrast. Career politicians wanted it both ways and by the way republican career politicians want to have it both ways and thats a good critique of the 2016 senate versus the 2020 senate and in that i agree with mark but what i dont agree with mark on as the rules once someone is bent the rules that its okay to continue to bend the rules. Fact we have our responsibility to fulfill our Constitutional Responsibilities that means we have to confirm or refused to confirm whatever Supreme Court justice the president puts up and hes right the Supreme Court is critically important and in a dangerous event of a contested election work goes to the Supreme Court as it did in 2000 we cant afford to have a 44 Supreme Court. Moderator i want to turn to the topic of why we are conducting this debate and mostly not in person. The coronavirus that killed 200,000 americans including more than 3000 in the state of virginia. In employment rate and state is gone from 3. 3 in march to 6. 1 today. What more should the federal government in the u. S. Senate be doing to fight the virus and help virginia senator warner you get the first response. Chuck their marker will thing about coronavirus as it didnt have to be this way but i reached out to the Trump Administration in january before there was a single case in virginia saying you need more resources. Instead i think we have seen an epic failure from this white house. We are seven months in and we have a national we still have a testing plan a plan of ppe and on this issue my opponent and i could not be more different. My opponent calls wearing a mask is a sign of tyranny but i think its a sign of respect. He said, and thats coronavirus is more no more than the common flu. He said Donald Trumps done a good job of managing the coronavirus. I disagree. I was there when secretary mnuchin put in place the first covidrelated package help for Small Business and help for unemployment, additional assistance for hospitals and our health care system. As a matter fact what we should be doing right now is not rushing the Supreme Court decision to the congress. Mitch mcconnell should ring up the house passed bill so that we can get additional assistance for Small Businesses so that schools can reopen safely so they can actually start making the investments in broadband we need to have so that we dont have this kind of a crazy zoo driven economy. Moderator senator dr. Gade your one minute. Gaetz this is a onetime onceinalifetime pandemic. 200,000 americans are dead in and our economy is totally disrupted and i agree with that. Tens of thousands of jobs right here in virginia are gone forever in this matter fact my opponent says i dont wear a mask and as a matter of fact he sent out a mailer saying i dont wear a mask and by colin tierney. Hes wrong about that. Ive got my mask right here. Camouflage to honor my 25 years of military service but americans have a right to be angry right now. Attorneys come his party did the pandemic. Politicians have profited on their knowledge of what was coming before citizens knew and other politicians delayed needed relief. And that im pointing directly at you senator warner because you voted against 105 million to reopen the schools, 258 billion for a second round of the protection through the paycheck Protection Plan and 31 billion for Covid Vaccine and 16 billion for testing. You can have it both ways cant say this is important and then vote against the needs of virginia citizens. Moderator senator warner, 30 seconds. Warner im proud of the record. I worked with republicans in the march covered really package produces significant investment in the history of our country 2. 7 trillion. Youre right it didnt vote for recent plan that would have allowed her cities and counties to go bankrupt. I dont think it makes any sense to go ahead and fire teachers cops and firefighters in the middle of a pandemic. We should get a deal. We need relief and one of the areas where my opponent and i dramatically disagree and he can say wearing a mask is tierney he said Donald Trumps done a great job of managing coronavirus. It was donald trump who did not tell the American Public the truth about the virus. Moderator first you senator warner what. Would you give the president is handling of the virus very quickly . Warner i would give the president failing. Because many additional relief families to follow science. Moderator dr. Gave what. Would you give the president. I would give our country overall a b or c for thats about the right and accurate. Moderator Aaron Gilchrest has the next question. Since the pandemic hit senator warner has held events with mastering india but attended in Person Campaign events with little social distancing and mask wearing in different parts of the state. Why do you consider your approach as they play together and campaign . Gade gade what we have done im very proud of but i consider campaign to be a Job Interview in my responsibility as i go around the commonwealth is to interview for this job. I have to meet the folks where they are. When we do events inside we do mouse were sometimes we do temperature checks where its appropriate and when we do events outside we spread apart and we stay apart from each other and we do the things in the socially distance the way. The end of the day coronavirus is going to be with us for very long time and what we can do is give in to fear. What we have to do is protect people who are vulnerable. By the way we need to get our economy back to work which is why would a vastly voted for the most recent coronavirus we felt which would have gotten schools back to work provided money fore given money for the paycheck Protection Plan and thats something that mark warner voted against perdoma in washington d. C. Is not getting everything you want justification for giving nothing to your constituents. Moderator senator warner one minute. 200,000 americans are dead. The president has misled the American Public in terms of the seriousness of the virus. My opponent, its all recorded, says coronavirus is little more than the flu. He praised the president for his leadership. I think the only way we are going to get our economy reopened and i point out the president selectively one of the few democrats to be on his economy reopened task force because he knew i have that business experience with the only way we are going to get the economy reopened as if we follow the signs, follow dr. Fauci and i actually believe wearing this mask is a sign of respect for the people i come in contact with and yet that is the way we practice our campaigning following the science. I very much believe we need another package. As a matter fact what my point is suggesting the republican plan didnt get me all the republican votes. Its one third of what the Trump Administration the Trump Administration proposed propose. Lets get real. Lets do a real plan that will help get the assistance to reopen her school to make sure our state and local governments succeed but that will require bipartisan efforts as same as we did in march of this year when he put the cares package together. Moderator dr. Gade 30 seconds. Gade he keeps coming back to this idea that bailing them out is good. If you Pay Attention all you know the chicago and new york and cities up and down california have been failing for decades because they made promises to their retirees and promises to their Public Sector units that they cant possibly keep that the idea of sending her gender tax dollars to bail out ailing state and local governments around the country because they have now made an excuse on this is a terrible mistake in a failure Public Policy that goes back 40 or 50 years and the same all politicians are not going to solve this by giving them a bailout on our National Credit card. Moderator julie kerry is the next question. Sara senator warners an entrepreneur you brought new technologies americans handed you begin to build their political profile you helped expand broadband to thousands of virginias many in rural areas and thats something often highlight as part of the record but the pandemic has exposed just how many Virginia School kids and their families are still without broadband access. You estimate as many of the 700,000 people. Youve been in the senate since 2009. Why would hear unique expertise havent even able to do more to close the Digital Divide . Julie thank you for that question but i do want to correct one thing about mr. Gade needs to do a little more homework. We are proud of something ive done as governor and proud our state and local governments are physically wellmanaged and i think its wrong to cut off assistance to them and have cops firefighters and teachers laid off during a pandemic. The difference of a position on that issue. He put them millions of dollars and broadband a lot of that coming after the 2008 a crisis i think we should do more work but i think we need to go ahead and provide ubiquitous highspeed broadband across the whole country and make the same commitment that Franklin Roosevelt made in the 1930s with electrification. We can do that now. There are things we should do during the pandemic where we allow Internet Service providers to turn up the power so theres additional relief provided in honestly i think we will be bold and say to our social Media Companies facebook, google and amazon maybe you ought to be chipping in for those underserved americans. Broadband in 2020 is an economic necessity not a nicety. Moderator dr. Gade one minute. You may have to check senator warners earpiece because clearly i said something about chicago and new york and california so you might want to check his earpiece. The question was about 5g. Im sorry about broadband. The question is about access and the federal government does everall here but i would say not similar to the Rural Electrification of the 1930s of the highway system built during the eisenhower commiseration interstate highway system. Very similar palms and very similar solution. We need to build information superhighway is but laying cable is not the only solution. As a matter fact there are a couple of other ways we can accomplish the same goal of getting Internet Access to folks who need it. Things like using abandoned white space that was gotten away from when tv went to digital, things like using lower the orbit satellites to beam down wireless access. Thats something thats been very positive in the test are very encouraging and they think they can do that by next year and finally we need to get our hands around 5g but this is an area in which the chinese are leaps and bounds ahead of us and half measures are going to do it from United States congress. Moderator 30 seconds dr. Gade. Gade i wish my opponent would do his homework. Ive been working with microsoft and virginia to do white space experimentation on that problem could have been a huge subproblem of commercial satellite for years to make sure we have an alternative for delivery and over the last 2. 5 years i have led the bipartisan effort in the senate to come up with plans to Counter China and my opponent is right. Im leading the committee on how we counter that in 5g and frankly into the next generation of wireless. Bipartisan legislation that has been put into the Defense Operations Defense Authorization bill. Moderator thank you. Data from the Virginia Department showed that latinos represent more than 30 of coronavirus cases in the state when theyll may count for 10 of the population, about 10 of the pop is rather. The percentage is even higher places like sussex county. What do you think is necessary to stop the spread of this virus in the Latino Community and what kind of commitment he would make today in order to help the hispanic population be safe from covid19 . Warner york sacre right its a huge problem not just in the Latino Community but also in the black Community Around the commonwealth and around the country. They are a couple of underlying things that have been a problem since the for covid and that is their Health Disparities across the country in minority communities and we need to do everything we can to help them get the health care they need including Preventative Care so their overall quality of health comes up and so when there is a pandemic like what we are experiencing right now theres room that they can drive through but i want to point back to the fact that my opponent says he wanted a whole loaf so he wasnt willing to take the hassle of that group are republicans up for him but by the way that half a loaf would have offered 30 billion for a vaccine and billion dollars for testing but those are things that benefit not just the minority communities but the rest of the country at large. We should have passed that bill. Moderator thank you dr. Gade. Senator warner one minute. Warner covid has exposed long assisting Health Disparities for the Latino Community in the Africanamerican Community and we need to do more. Part of this is health carerelated in part of it is economically related. I would support of the ppp program but we didnt do enough in terms of access to capital for minorityowned businesses that either bill thats working with the top demonstrations secretary mnuchin will make record investments in Community Development financial stations to begin at the kind of landing for black owned latino owned and womenowned businesses who fell behind. With health care what we need to start with is protecting the aca. Baca is not perfect but 20 million americans have Health Care Coverage. Protects 3. 5 million virginians including my daughter is. Existing conditions and 40,000 virginians got Health Care Coverage because of Medicaid Expansion through my opponent has criticized me constantly. He said i was dividing folks and if he rushes there a trump of pointy baca will be dismantled by the Supreme Court in the second week of november. Moderator . Org gade, 30 seconds. Gade i have criticized it being the deciding vote because there were 60 votes they got it from cloture to the floor and that means everybody who voted for it is the deciding vote. Thats why met what i meant when i said it and ill say it again. Heres the fact, there parts of the aca better find a baca has been the law for 10 years and people who say we should appeal the root and branch are not thinking in terms of reality so what we need to do is we need to of course protect peoples preexisting conditions and their money to expand access increase quality of health care by doing things like expanding Health Savings account and adding Price Transparency and the administration for all that sometimes laws is done a good job on heading that direction. Moderator the next question we want to squeeze into more virus questions for this before commercial break for julie care the next question. Gelzer with a direct back. We are not a paper that was the conclusion of a Foster Parent recently issued bake them to do does the school board to return to some in school structure. Parents say their kids are depressed stressed is that they not getting the education they deserve. Should more Virginia Schools now be reopening their classrooms . Warner juliette wants schools to reopen but i want them to open sais safely. The decision is of the parents of school board the teachers and not to be dictated out of washington but i think its really important you have to get health care under control. My opponent cant have it both ways. Dont take my word for it. Take the Cancer Society take the diabetes society. Its a phony excuse. The only lots of land that protects people with preexisting conditions. Moderator dr. Or gade your 30 seconds. Gade there were 25 states and the aca pasta to protect the people of three existing conditions and add debt would take away protections from people of preexisting conditions as offensive and its false and defamatory. You cant see my body because im behind this podium but i have a preexisting condition myself because i got my legs blown off in iraq. Since then ive worked with people with disabilities and ive been on the National Council counsel disabilities. Theres nobody cares more about people of preexisting conditions in this country than i do in the fact that hes putting out these ridiculous mailers. Thats not who i am and its a lie. Moderator senator warner for 15 seconds. Warner again you cant have it of ways. If my opponent wants to change his position and said he supported my decision along with john mccain to keep the aca he can make that change but you cant go out and criticize me for the aca and then cherry which parts of the aca you want to preserve. Just doesnt work that way and again dont believe me. Believe those who cannot protecting folk the Diabetes Association bmaa the list goes on and on. 12 mike this last question before you go to break 30 seconds to both of you. President trumps talk about the possibility of a Coronavirus Vaccine before the november election. If he makes an announcement that a vaccine has been approved between now and november would you be comfortable personally taken at vaccine 30 seconds dr. Gade. Gade well look i family and i vaccinate their children. If science is the vaccine is safe and happy to take it but the truth as it will be widely available for months longer than that. Im in a low risk category but. Im only 45 years old and im in peak physical condition despite my preexisting condition and i would just say how would allow people with more advance conditions to be the first ones to take the vaccine. I think we need to prioritize the people who are most vulnerable. Eventually i will happily take the vaccine. Moderator senator warner your 30 seconds. Warner i will take it as dr. Fauci says its okay but one of the things as we get past the vaccine we need to look at what has happened to the fda and the cdc. They were the gold standards and unfortunately they have not gotten as pandemic completely right and i think a lot of that is due to political interference. Moderator i want to paws it right there is spirited firsthalf of this debate. Thank you both so far. Well take a quick commercial break and well be back with many more questions including race, social justice and policing. Moderator we are back. I want to turn to the other shoe that has dominated national and state headlines over the past several months and talking about race, Racial Justice and policing the idea that systemic racism is a concept in our system of government and the justice was built to favor people who are white. You believe that systemic racism exists and if so senator warner what should the government do about it . Senator warner you get the first one minute. Warner the history of race in our country has been challenging since 400 years ago when the first enslaved people landed here in virginia. Do i think systemic racism exists . I do. Black lives matter and i do think its time we put in place major criminal Justice Reforms. Im proud to be the cosponsor of the act that would have a conference of approach to policing reform. I also believe that violence of any kind should be whether you are vigilante on the street are about to throw brick through a window cube break the light issue prosecuted to the full extent of the law. I believe as well we should not be defunding the police as a matter fact if we are going to give them the tools they need they would need additional training. I dont mean to a appropriate times to send a Law Enforcement into a Mental Health care situation for their lessons we can learn from countries around the world who dont have the level of Police Violence that we do in america. Moderator dr. Gade depletes systemic racism exists and should take government do something about it if so . Gade there are pockets of racism that exists in this country. You are actually right about that and we need to find those and went to stomp them out and updating their attitudes is the right way. After the memorial has been painted and decorated with black lives matter i would say everybody has a right to practice the First Amendment. I agree yes protest thats fine but you dont start important conversation with a rock in your hand but we need is fundamental Police Reform could win a criminal Justice Reform. We need increase penalties for gun crimes which the virginia democrats have voted down. We need funding for body cameras when there is federal funding above the training and recognizing Mental Health crises but i worked on the National Counsel disabilities and i understand what its like to experience that from the eyes of somebody else. Defunding the police as marx parties called for is an evil idea because it puts the very same people at risk who are already at risk when police go road. Hes called for what did he say reallocating police funding. That has one meaning it means defund. Moderator senator warner, 30 seconds. Warner my opponent has been the fact checks about his claims on defunding anything. I dont know how many pinocchios that was what to sigh. I did not support dividing the. Can we train our Police Officers better . Absolutely. This is an issue ive worked on when i became governor of virginia to make sure we had racial profiling was in 2015 a call for body cameras. We can and must do better but it cant just be around criminal Justice Reform. We need economic equality as well as help you get to that subject check as well. Moderator quick followup for both of you anew each get 30 seconds for this question. Senator warner first to call for Governor Ralph Northam to resign after black face photo and he did not resign. Did he ever regain your trust senator . Warner i was very disappointed with the governor when that story broke out in frankly the governor reacted too quickly. I do think he has regained in terms of accepting responsibility. He now says he was not a picture and i think hes worked extraordinarily hard to regain the trust of the people of virginia and i think hes done a good job at that and i think he has moved forward this agenda of bring in more Racial Justice and read her and his support of the black caucus in virginia. I think hes doing a good job with a coronavirus readies the only doctor in the country that is following the science. Moderator dr. Gade did the governor make the right call by not resigning . Gade what you heard from mark is another flipflop. There is flip mark this as he should resign and flop mark that says these regain trust but lets go back to the precision talk about flipflopping. Just now you heard him say hes never been forgiven in place but as governor he signed a budget that defund of the police by 15 million in what happened as crime rates in richmond went up, murders murder is one of 10 yearoveryear and he said nothing about the millions and enrichment that im proud to announce today that i have the support of the Police Benevolent association of virginia to endorse mark in 2008 and now they have seen the career politician is time to find something new. Moderator . Chris has the next question. You decried what he called violent leftwing extremists who are in your words destroying american cities. Youve criticized senator warner and other leaders for caving to label mob. Certainly there has been some violence and protests across the country but there is now a Massive Movement across this nation calling for Racial Justice. What would you do to address those concerns around Racial Justice . Gade i was proud in the army to alert diverse teams including the most difficult circumstances you can imagine combat through when i was wanted for the second times seven 25 sailors and marines gave me their blood it didnt matter if they were black, white or straight hispanic or white. Lets be totally clear there is a right to protest and tried in the First Amendment the right to have equal assembly thats enshrined in the constitution but there is no place for organized leftwing violence and what we see when we trace back the roots of nt for you see an organized movement to overthrow our government and damage our system of democracy. Thats what i was talking about when i talked about a woke mob. Thats exactly what it is and when someone is throwing rocks through a window thats my definition of a mob. Moderator senator warner one minute. Warner i think theres a lot they can do to try to bring about greater Racial Justice in this country. Ive laid out criminal Justice Reform and policing reform but this is an issue i worked on long before is elected to office. I created the partnership that for 15 years that students from our historically black colleges into hightech internships for there was proud as governor to do more investing in as those with minorityowned business in black owned businesses latino businesses womenowned businesses than anyone in prior virginia history. Why have worked with the Trump Administration secretary mineta and republican chairman of the Banking Committee with the Jobs Investment act which will be in the cold relief package which we should be working on now and not rushing through a Supreme Court justice that will make record investments in Community Development financial cetaceans that will make the kind of access to capitol for minorityowned businesses. It they didnt receive it during the ppp program. Are things we can do but takes a proven record of putting your actions were your words are. Moderator dr. Gade, 30 seconds. Gade the work on the covid really know you called for is over because you voted against it announced that but lets be clear you talked about how you have the support of the police in newport for the police to help minority communities thrive and reform policing. The Benevolent Association doesnt lead which is why they have endorsed me and they switch their endorsement from you to me and the reason is because im better on this issue. Lets point to one more thing the senator from South Carolina put in his bill which had a variety of Police Reforms but most importantly he had a provision against lynching and you voted against it because apparently wasnt good enough for you and you and your party called the token legislation which is late code dog whistle for a racial slur to be honest with you. Moderator Aaron Gilchrest next question. I senator i wanted ask about defunding the place. The term i understand is dismantling the Police Department and reducing functions and diverting money to social programs would you said today he would not support the Funding Police rather you favor criminal Justice Reforms and the like could have the respond to people who say a lot of todays Law Enforcement dollars would be better on intervention and Crisis Management . Warner i think we need to invest and unfortunately in this country and many communities it only takes 10 weeks to become a police officer. In many communities in many countries it takes two to three years. I think we need to make the kinds of investments in our police force to give them the tools and the training. We need to put the body cameras on Police Officers so that we dont have the kind of tragedy that took place a couple years ago with the Parkland Police and you can watch that video now. We have still not gotten a response from the Justice Department on that issue. We can and must stand by our Police Officers to give them the training we need. My opponent can say things with saying things as ive make them sure. Hes right the police union has stood up or him because they dont want to make a change but when i was governor we made record investments in Law Enforcement. Dont believe me, ask the sheraton ask Law Enforcement officers across the commonwealth. Moderator thank you senator. Dr. Gade one minute. Gade lets talk about a record mart previewed the of the police by 50 million in new 2004 budget in crime rates went up after that. Youve done nothing am Police Body Cameras and nothing to push federal resources to state and local governments so they have the money to do that. As a matter of fact the bill you are advocating for along with the leftwing colleagues in the senate prohibit nonlethal riot methods like choke holds and that finds some spine for someone whos never been in a physical fight but let me tell you what happens on the ground when Police Officers are struggling with the suspect. If they cant use the chokehold sometimes guess what they are going to reach for . They will reach for a lethal means. They will reach for their pistol and i will be the next killing that happens. If we take away tools from police its no wonder violence goes up and thats why we need to have fundamental Police Reform. I talked about that with the Police Benevolent association and i told them about body cameras i told them my position on reforming qualified immunity and we need to do all of those things that we cant do is have the same old failed ideas that expect different results. Moderator senator warner you get 30 seconds. Warner i think President Trumps been shown by the Washington Post to have 20,000 lives in his tenure. Appears my opponent is trying to catch up with him today. Im fortunate what my opponent said is not true. Virginia and so my record of support for Law Enforcement my record of support for bringing out a more just and equitable virginia for the nokia sustenance ive worked on not only in terms of criminal Justice Reform and economic equality in a technologydriven economy when we have to make sure no matter what zip code you come from me of those chances and i count on the people of virginia who know my record. Moderator alberto has the next question. Sam this month in the field court ken and humanitarian relief for individuals from several countries including the Program Allows immigrants who cannot safely return to their country because of local conditions to live here in the u. S. Legally. More than 20 and virginia could be impacted. Should the senate blocked potential deportation and if so, how . Senator warner. Warner the senate should lock the deportations of folks who came here some almost 30 years ago under tbs. We see salvadorian and pondering committees and many of these individuals are now in the midst of the pandemic essential workers that they work in her Nursing Homes and they work in a even our hospitals. Think it is wrong morally ethically to try to deport these people during the midst of the pandemic. What we also need, support continuation of the tps program put on a Going Forward basis should there be absolute but to take people who came are oftentimes the early 90s from salvadorian have made their families here to deport them in the midst of the pandemic would be wrong. We also need broadbased Immigration Reform and i was proud to work with john mccain and others. We got 69 posts on the comprehensive immigration vote. We only got 69 senators to agree on that something that is so comprehensive republicans hold control how their particular. We begin take on Immigration Reform and give people the confidence they need. Moderator dr. Gade one minute would be blocked as deportations deportations . Gade i believe . Gade i believe so put it into the legislation of the bill but i believe that when heres why. America is a generous country and we have always welcomed people were suffering. That allows me to switch immigration. So i say about immigration. Our immigration policy should serve american we need to secure our borders or the presence is build a wall in that shorthand for secure the border but of course many to welcome lowskilled workers to do very important work provided that we know who they are and were they are they pay taxes and go back when they are done. We are happy to have those folks would nary a word break with my party is on h1b visas. We need to have h1b visas workers especially in Northern Virginia and especially in the technology sector. The administration has curtailed h1b visas and i think its a mistake in an area with which i disagree with my party. You see career politicians constantly trying to use immigration as a cajole for the next elections of solving right now. The republicans do it too but im not going to predicting count on me to tell you the truth and thats what im doing now. Moderator senator warner, 30 seconds. Warner back im here glad to hear dr. Gade break with his party at least someone issue. The truth is then Trump Administration or theres banning people from countries are being the most antique immigrant president antiimmigrant or theres a way to use drones and technology. Again mr. Gade should do his homework that i work for the Virginia Chambered to support h1b visas but ive worked on a show trying to raise the countries on countries like india which supports enormous amounts of hightech knowledgebased workers. The indianamerican diasporas important part of virginia. Think of virginia is a richer more diverse commonwealth now and that investment of immigrants, over one third of the best job dashed tech jobs and businesses are founded by immigrants. Brett hankison moderator thank you. Julie kerry with the next question. Dr. Gade virginia voters will be able to cast mailin ballots early without an absence excuse and those who choose can return them. Drop boxes. Its estimated to be 60 of virginians will cast their vote by mail this election. How confident are you in the security of virginias vote . Gade ive got some some concerns but let me start with a story that i think is really awesome bread when i was in iraq in november of 2004 i and all of my soldiers cast their absentee ballots around the country in the 2004 president ial state and local elections. Im proud to cast an absentee ballot and track my service ive cast absentee ballots many times for the post office can handle the absentee ballots and keep the chain of custody intact at what we have seen in virginia this year is terrifying for three reasons. Number one the idea of unattended drop boxes is one step away from somebody and then the ballots are gone forever. Two the fact that they have gotten away from the ability to have a signature associated with an actual person and an i. D. Means and that he can vote name and when you go in your name is taken youll have to have to cast the original ballot in. They have recently put something in place where they think ballots can come in until friday after election day that will still affect the tuesday november 3 election. All three of those undermines or elections which is one of the most critical things that america can do. Moderator senator warner one minute. Warner this is an area where dramatically disagree with my opponent taking the donald trump approach on voting for lets are strict as much as possible. I trust the post office to get the job done. Only because of the postal workers. Its outrageous President Trumps political appointee the postmaster general trying to interrupt mail service and the slowdown during the pandemic not only that the people who depend on the mail to get their medicines and their bills. Her that it was wrong and the postmaster general got called out. We have to vote and we need to vote in record numbers whether you are for me your mr. Gade get out and vote. We need to make sure we do it early. Id trust the absentee process and i think we treat open up voting but we have to guard which is Something Else ive been working on for about four and enter interference and this information and i hope itll question that as well. Moderator dr. Gade, 30 seconds. Gade i saw the Video Marketing i couldnt help to think that mark voted for me and he did i appreciate that encourage my supporters to vote early as well but im going to vote on november 3rd because my daughters 18 is coming home from college and she will cast her first Senate Ballot. I want ask her who shes voting for bread that i know put encouraging all my voters to vote early so they can take others to the polls. I am in favor of the maximum number of citizens citizens voting. I think thats a good idea but what im not in favor of his insecure elections with undermine our democracy and continue to cause fear in our electoral system. Moderator i want to stick to this topic, final question 3030 seconds about the deeper are you confident the results of this contest will be fair and will you accept the results from the president ial election regardless of who is declared the winner first is senator warner. Warner i will of course accept the results but i think we all have a responsibility those of us who are elected leader in chuck knows in the media to make sure that we all take a deep breath during covid time. Things may be a little different and we may not know the winner on Election Night and we are to have a sitting president whos trying, who sang him i dont accept the results. That is unprecedented in our history. That could place into the hands of folks like latimer put new want to undermine a democracy. I will except the result but we need to make sure the votes are all counted. Moderator dr. Gade to expect the race to be fair and we accept the results . Gade i will except the results of the president ial election no doubt about it and all except the result of the Senate Ballot in up and down about three weeks make sure Going Forward or elections are secure because Election Security is National Security and there are some people on the left and right have been talking about this for a long time the fact that the russians interfered in our 2016 election not to try to get donald trump elected necessary but instead to provide confidence in the electoral system. Thats a real problem. They have not undermined my confidence in america or our electoral system. Moderator gentleman that concludes her question now. To gade you have a one minute closing statement. Go ahead. Gade to the Northern Chamber of virginia thank you for the spirited exchange of ideas. As a mantra politician this is my first time being on the big debate stage and i appreciate you exchanging your ideas with me in a forthright and exciting way. All you need to do is look at washington d. C. To realize its a dysfunctional mess. Both sides l. Have made a worse blown out budgets endless war that affect people dislike me partisan bickering over the simplest task and grandstanding to win the next election. What you see today here is a perfect illustration of how career politicians want to have it both ways. Ive introduce you to flip mark and his alter ego flop mart but we agree on one thing in 1996 right after, sing not to run for third term if he was elected to the senate marks at this. The value of our system is that its constantly been it i new ideas, fresh ideas and fresh people buried in the selection virginians can choose a new fresh face or they can choose a career politician. I humbly ask for your vote and i look forward to it at spirit did a spirited exchange of ideas. Moderator senator warner your ideas. Warner thank you to the Virginia Chamber and i think mr. Gade for his willingness to be an arena and in politics and challenging times. With all of our challenges im a real optimist about our country. I believe an American Dream that i was at first my family to graduate from college. I have that are tried and one of the reasons im so interested in continuing Public Service and to make sure everybody has the same kind of fair shot that i had. We have to realize the world is changing. Its technologydriven. We need people who understand that change so again no matter what zip code you live in you are going to have that are shocked that i had. We also know that we have got to work together. Whether governor or senator were my work on the Senate Intelligence committee i have a bipartisan record of getting things done. That record i offer to the people of virginia and respectfully i hope to earn your vote again. Thank you all. Moderator senator mark warner and dr. Daniel gade thank you for your participation in the Northern Virginia chamber and the two candidates be safe on the campaign trail. Thank you all. Stay with news four and nbc washington. Com for continuing coverage of decision 2020 and dont forget not only to vote the plan how you are going to vote on november 3. I lover buddy. I would like to we will be talking about health care. We have a o