U.S. Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski and Republican challenger state Sen. E.J. Pipkin, whose race in Maryland recently heated up with a barrage of television ads, met last night for their first debate and the war in Iraq quickly became a bone of contention.
During the hourlong face-off, Miss Mikulski, 68, stood by her vote opposing the U.S.-led war in Iraq. The debate was broadcast on Maryland Public Television (MPT).
“We had to have a plan to win the war and a plan to win the peace,” Miss Mikulski said. “I wanted to go through the [United Nations] one more time so that we could have international help.”
A Baltimore Democrat known as a political dynamo in Maryland after 28 years on Capitol Hill, Miss Mikulski said she regrets her vote confirming Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld. “He did not have a plan for the war and did not have a plan for … peace,” she said.
A former bond trader on Wall Street, Mr. Pipkin said that given his opponent’s record, it’s time for a change. “When the president of the United States comes to you and says he or she needs to take action against terrorism, you need to give them the benefit of the doubt,” said the first-term state senator who represents Maryland’s Eastern Shore. “Whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican, you don’t play politics.”
Throughout the debate, the candidates jabbed at each other, as they have done in television and radio ads in recent weeks.
Miss Mikulski accused Mr. Pipkin, 48, of being a junk-bond dealer with little political experience. She said he is misrepresenting her congressional votes by using “cookie-cutter attacks” taken “right out of the Republican Party’s playbook.”
“The choice could not be clearer,” Miss Mikulski said. “My opponent is a first-term, only term member of the Maryland General Assembly … I’m effective, I’m experienced. I know Maryland, and I’ve fought for Maryland.”
In response, Mr. Pipkin, a self-made millionaire with a blue-collar background, said Miss Mikulski voted 354 times for higher taxes on utilities, Social Security and gasoline.
“She can try to run away from that record but she can’t hide,” he said.
Last night’s debate was sponsored by MPT and the League of Women Voters. The only other debate scheduled so far is set for Friday on WTOP radio from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
A recent poll conducted in the first week of October showed Miss Mikulski with a sizable lead over Mr. Pipkin: 58 percent to 34 percent.
Mr. Pipkin is trying to close the gap further with a blitz of ads that accuses Miss Mikulski of voting for higher taxes and allowing the Chesapeake Bay to deteriorate during her tenure. He has spent at least $1.2 million of his own money on the campaign and has raised more than $600,000 from donors.
The ads spotlight Miss Mikulski’s “true record,” according to Mr. Pipkin’s campaign. Miss Mikulski gets widespread support because many Marylanders aren’t familiar with her voting record, the campaign says.
In return, Miss Mikulski gives as good as she gets in ads. She criticizes Mr. Pipkin for making millions by selling junk bonds. She points out her own history of support for science and technology industries, veterans and senior citizens. So far, the senator has raised $5.5 million.
• This article is based in part on wire service reports.
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