Battle Royal in CD4, Tony Hernandez vs Betty McCollum

The first debate of the 2012 CD4 election was held at the State Fair Tuesday 8/29. The candidates for US House of Representatives are Tony Hernandez, Betty McCollum, and Steve Carlson.

Tony Hernandez is the endorsed Republican candidate who is the fiscal conservative candidate in the race. 

"We need to figure out a way to reform our tax structure, lower our taxes, so that businesses want to come back to America in order to invest,"

Betty McCollum is the long term incumbent, representing the far left constituency of Harry Reid, and Nancy Pelosi.  Betty McCollum is a staunch believer in government involvement and regulation of business.  And as she states in the debate,

The fiscal cliff, you know we shouldn't, we shouldn't be in this position we should not be there.  We should be having a discussion as President Obama is starting to have with John Behner about putting everything on the table.  Tax reform as well as "smart cuts".

Placing the blame on "the Republican Tea Party element" for the issue and the "gridlock".  In the debate you will hear "tax reform" translates to tax increases (revenues), and "smart cuts" appear to equate to cuts to the military, and most forms of military advertisement [from other sources here, here, here, here].

Steve Carlson is the returning Independence Party candidate that ran in 2010, as a far distant third, claiming to represent the Tea Party. 

As reviewed in MPR's article, this debate centered on those fiscal issues that undoubtedly are primary in everyone's mind.  Job's, the economy, debt, and the Stillwater bridge.