Lynch and Coburn face off in Manchester in the first of two planned debates. Lynch -- who's leading by as many as 50 points in the polls -- promoted what he says is a record of bipartisan successes. Coburn, meanwhile, laid into the incumbent for what he says is a passive approach to governing.
Questions of leadership and taxation were front and center. And the candidates cast the issues in starkly different terms. Jim Coburn opened the debate by ticking off promises he says governor Lynch has failed to keep -- to lower the cost of health care, to reduce property taxes…… and to solve school funding……Coburn then warned that reelecting John Lynch could be dangerous….because he'd bend to the judiciary if ordered to impose a school funding plan that could only be paid for through new broad-based taxes.
"Now, John Lynch will tell you that he is against a sales or income tax --and I'm sure he will try to make that point again today -- but is he really?His inaction calls into question where he really stands on broad-based taxes."
Lynch was quick to reiterate his pledge to veto such levys.
"We're not going to have a sales or income tax in NH."
And tout his bipartisan leadership style.
"My approach gets results."
The Governor then zeroed in on what Coburn says he'll do if elected -- change the Constitution to specify that school funding decisions are the responsibility of the legislative and executive branches…. Lynch himself said he'd be open to a narrow constitutional change if it was needed to enact a plan the public supported, but he believes Coburn wants to go to far.
"We are also not going abandon our responsibility to out cities and towns to our schools and to our children which is what my opponent's blueprint would allow us to do."
The candidates sparred with far less intensity on other topics. Both men said lowering the cost of heath care would be a priority and they agreed modernizing hospital records and making more data available to consumers could help. But they did also have differences. Here's Lynch on the repeal of the small group insurance rating law known as senate bill 110.
"Working together in a bipartisan way we repealed those provisions and restored stability to the market. My opponent was against that change."
Coburn responded by acknowledged that senate bill 110 did cause some people to pay too much, but he then stressed it that could have been fixed without a total repeal.
"SB 110 was brought into place to bring competition to NH and we made a commitment to those We made a commitment to insurance companies and other product providers: to attract them to NH to drive down costs through competition. That commitment was pulled when we undid 110."
Coburn and Lynch also continued their running spat over the state's gas tax……Over the summer, when gas prices topped three dollars a gallon, Coburn proposed a moratorium on the tax……He subsequently said he'd entertain the notion of a future gas tax hike as part of a broader reordering of state energy policies…..The Lynch camp has seized on that detail and featured it in television ads……Coburn cried foul.
"Shame on you Governor Lynch, it was a three second soundbite which has added up on tv, haunting me, haunting me. It was a total distortion of the facts."
Lynch then gave the knife another twist.
"Frankly, I can't keep up with my opponent on this one."
Afterwards both men called the debate a success.……And both said voters should expect them to stick with their basic messages……..Jim Coburn says he thinks he still has enough time and money to convince the public that John Lynch is weak leader who's scared of taking tough stands.
"It's been the starting theme of our campaign and the more things we probe the more things we find."
Governor Lynch for his part says people just want more of what he's already provided.
We've shown that we can make a difference by working in a bipartisan way."
