Donnelly vs Chocola, Round 1

I knew the first debate was tonight in Rochester (would you believe my brother was the timekeeper?), but can't find much info yet about it. There is a quick piece from WSBT.com, here is part of it:

The two candidates for the 2nd District Congressional seat faced off in their first debate tonight. Congressman Chris Chocola and his challenger, Joe Donnelly took questions from students at Rochester High School.

People in a packed Rochester High School auditorium watched the candidates debate a number of issues. Some of their sharpest differences came in a response to a question about the Iraq War. Rep. Chocola tied the war to the ongoing war on terror.

"The war on terror will continue long after we come home from Iraq and Afghanistan," he said. "This is a generationial conflict and we have we to make sure we make the wise investments to make sure we are successful."

Joe Donnelly said the tough questions about Iraq were not being asked before the war and there's a lack of leadership over the war now.

"We need somebody to hold their feet to fire, so that the sons and daughters of Fulton County have the same leadership in Washington that they get in the field," said Donnelly.

UPDATE

More from Fox28, here is part of it:

It's one of the most heated mid-term elections, and Tuesday night, for the first time in this race, Chris Chocola and Joe Donnelly squared off.

The debate began with both candidates thanking the audience and each other, but the tone quickly changed.

Chris Chocola says, "I was disappointed and I think many others are that Joe has chosen not to do a full schedule of debates."

Joe Donnelly says, "I'm not criticizing you for being a federalist. I'm criticizing you for not making an effort and rolling over for Mitch Daniels."

The attacks were not unexpected. For the past few months, both candidates have been saturating the airwaves with negative political ads. When asked why they chose this as a campaign tactic, Donnelly said he never wanted the election to be negative.

Joe Donnelly says, "They began attacking me back in May. I never even ran a commercial until mid-August. And at some point you either have to defend yourself or people believe it. So I'm gong to defend myself because people want a Congressman who is willing to stand up and tell the truth."

Chris Chocola says, "Every ad that I ran on TV since I started running for Congress has been accurate, factual and documented. I think it's important for people to see the difference between the two of us."

Differences evident on many national issues... health care, education, the war in Iraq, immigration.