activity on the house side. they could not get it done, but they put in a lot of time and effort. i don't think it's fair to say that only bad things have happened. neither the bad things or the good things have come to reality, but there has been a lot of effort on the good things as well. luis chime inlet on that. let me get your opinion on when you watch the politics of this, it must be from someone -- for someone outside of that realm, disappointing to see that occurring. that a majority of republicans believe the system is broken and needs to be fixed and a majority of the democrats do, but still nothing happens. >> for the last several years, what we heard from leaders in us, we wills, cover

get it done. we will get it done november. we will cover it -- we will get it done in june. we stood and nothing happened. there was courage to get something done. was not am is, there marco rubio in the house on the republican side that would stand stand upke courage and to anybody, the tea party, and say, look, we have to get this done. pastor, i teach that there is power in prayer. but as a citizen, there is power in my vote. and the best thing i can do is tell my constituents -- and we are doing this with the work with the different organizations. what are we telling our people? you must show up to vote. i don't think congress has felt the consequences of us voting. evangelicals, the 20% that voted for governor romney, 50%

of that 28% of hispanics was evangelicals. apple not happen again. if you do not read -- not support immigration reform, you will not get the hispanic vote and you will not get the evangelical vote. you have to realize that. [applause] panel.me ask the entire louise, you can chime in with this as well. let me turn -- start with you on the end. the unaccompanied minor crisis that happened this year, the president in his interviews in -- one of the reasons why or maybe even the main reason why he delayed action until after the election is that he lost the support of the american people. and he blamed that on the unaccompanied minors crisis. and it frightened america he needed time to reeducate folks about why they should support immigration reform again. do you agree with him?

afraid see people because of what they were seeing at the border? president made a profit out of my boss. he said in 2007, today's complacency will be tomorrow's captivity. yes, kids are captive at the border. parents are captive. they are being sent home. we need to reinvigorate the situation. it is time for someone to act. if it is the president, the house, just someone, please, do what you say you are going to do. [applause] >> what effect do you think the the crisis of unaccompanied minors created? >> number one, this is not american crisis. 78,000 kids showing up at the border of the most powerful, strongest nation in the world, it's a crisis of central america. it's a logistical headache for us that we can take care of.

125,000 showed up and i don't remember the republicans saying, don't -- send them back and that we will not receive them. [applause] that what understand the republicans did was use the children at the border and exploited them for political gain by saying they were criminals, that they were dirty, filthy criminals, and that they were coming here to destroy america. and that is what they said. i'm not adding or subtracting -- adding to or subtracting from the speeches they gave. one of them said they would bring the ebola virus to america. unfortunately, we have had the first case. and it is a tragedy in africa. they even use a tragedy in africa, because here's the problem that we have. the problem that we have is that of the 11 million undocumented, 5 million of them never crossed the border.

it legal, illegal, illegal, illegal. those are the only people they ever talk about. if you were to seal the border down, people would still overstay their visas. they would still overstay their tourist visas and work visas. people would still be in this country undocumented in the u.s. and now the new thing is that the terrorists are coming through. they have american passports. why would they need a coyote? you need a coyote if you don't have a passport. [applause] it just doesn't make sense. i think it's important to have these conversations. there are dozens of wonderful men and women in the republican caucus that want to get this done. but their leadership will not allow them to join democrats in the house of representatives to get it done.

[speaking spanish] but we cannot get it done because the leadership will not allow it. what did they tell them? everybody can't become a citizen. and i said, ok, everybody can't become a citizen. we have to do it in parts and pieces. even the president said, ok, let's start putting the pieces together. we set yes, yes, -- we said, yes, yes, yes, and yes. and in the end, they walked away. i understand the democrats walked away before and did not show incredible current. but that was yesterday. is inlking about who power and who has the capacity to do it today. but there is a difference. because my daughter told me, i don't see candidates for the u.s. senate that are democrats going and using immigration against the republicans. no, it's republicans in arkansas

and the louisiana, in the carolinas, and across this country that are using immigration in order to gain a majority in the u.s. senate. and i'm supposed to believe that you're going to hound the hell out of the electorate and you're going to come back and be good to immigrants when you have won the election. i cannot believe that. [applause] i will add one other thing. the president said he has the authority to act. the president needs to act. [applause] if the congress of the united states will not afford our community justice and fairness, and we are waiting to do it according to their rules and regulations, then the president has to act. but let me be clear to democrats and republicans alike. if mitch mcconnell and speaker , or any two leaders of the republican party watch this,

it's wednesday. it's the day after the election and -- election in november. i can hear them already. priority of to make immigration reform, but the president better not spoil the well of acting unilaterally. no, no, no. by 5resident got elected million more votes than mitt romney. he said to the dreamers that he would bring them. and that was a down payment. it is now time for the president to act. we will not expect -- except an excuse on the democratic side and we should not accept republicans telling us to wait. spanish] [applause]

>> if anybody else wants to add to that, i'm happy to let you at this point to take that on, or whatever you want to do. i do also want to take -- turned to the audience and see if there are questions there. but before we go on, let me say something about what luis said. i agree with what -- a lot of what he said. to began the question as minors on the border. did that change public opinion? yes. should it have? no. but did it? yes. but at the end of the day, you and i know that it was not that, that held the president back. it was mary landrieu, mark begich, and others picking up the phone to the white house over and over again and say, if you do executive action, you will cost us our election. they were just as political as the people you just talked about. and that should be unacceptable this is what that

those folks are doing. it may come down to louisiana. remembere that they that mary landrieu was on the phone asking the white house not to do executive action so she could save her seat. >> all right, let's go to the audience for some questions. the microphone as of here. go ahead. want to thank all of you for being here. i'm kind of excited and nervous at the same time. but i have to share this before my question. i'm a state representative in phoenix, arizona, married to a person that is in process that was detained in the last session before finishing my session this term. it affects us all. but my question is this. and i'm confused. i understand the issue at the federal level here in washington. how that translates to my local

area in arizona is that i'm a democrat, a registered democrat, and i have my own democratic party whose priorities do not match that of the federal. i'm passionate about immigration. ,'m organizing a massive market you name it. different --a very reverend, again, the faith-based, pro-life, how does christianlate to my churches? i understand that we got to organize and register and do that work. but there is a big disconnect. i don't know if that is only in arizona, or across the nation. what can we do? for everyectations elected official to start speaking the truth and speaking about their challenges within their party, because it shouldn't be a partisan issue. and you're right, it is

unacceptable and it's up to us. where are we? >> let me say first of all, that i think the issue of immigration be how we approach it should a nonpartisan issue. i want to work with everyone that wants to work to solve the problem of our undocumented community, whether republican or democrat. that,reover, i have done and i've challenged my own party time and time again to be better. so that we understand way this works, right? i was disillusioned because i remember in 1997, i voted in -- against the defense of marriage said,e test -- because i what two men and two women want for the did not wait country to wake up about gay and lesbian people. i voted my conscience. part of the problem with the democratic party with immigration is still this. we would not wait until after

november if it was an issue affecting the gay and lesbian community necessarily. spanish] if this is about women's reproductive rights and the minimum wage, if this was about a series of other issues, the democratic party would come together. but we are better shape today than we've ever been before on the issue of immigration as a democratic party. let me just say that. one of the things you need to understand is that every democratic senator in the senate last year voted for comprehensive immigration reform. and if just the democratic senators had voted for it, there would have been enough of them to pass immigration reform without one republican. they all voted for it. and i think it's kind of a shame that mary landrieu, who voted for immigration reform, is now -- of course, by her republican opponent because she wants to win the election and being challenged on immigration.

she is for fixing our broken immigration system. did she call the president and say, wait until after the election? she probably did. here's what i say to everyone. register to vote, because every year, 900,000 latinos turn 18 and they are all american citizens. million of which 7 million are latinos that can become citizens tomorrow. i'm going to work on registering all the youth and making sure that those who can become citizens do. but i also will set up for our immigrant community, so they can know to register to vote for somebody because of principle and values. [speaking spanish] >> i get that. >> let me tell you about arizona. to me, it is very confusing to sucha state that has

disparate characters. we cannot help you in arizona. but he will pray about it. [laughter] >> i will pray about it, and let me add that at the state level, arizona needs to know that the son of an undocumented immigrant who came to this country speaking -- seeking amnesty and political asylum now opposes immigration. he needs to remember he is the product of an undocumented immigrant and he needs to stand up for others in arizona. when you go to the churches, don't go politically. go with the moral argument, because there is not a church in america that can argue against the moral problem that this is. ask i would like to see them i expect -- >> i would like to say that my exterior is with the -- mys of the house experience with the members of

the house, they are prepared to take courageous votes if given the opportunity. the tenant did take a -- the senate did take a difficult vote. and now they are up for election . whether they returned to the senate or not is a political issue. they took a courageous vote last year. the house has not taken a boat. -- note seen the house taking that vote. and i've seen the house act. the violence against women act. i've seen them on san diego. i'm from new york. aid.was -- on sandy york.om new that was a difficult issue. and all of those issues passed the house with a majority-minority and a minority -- and a majority of the minority. i have the will on the floor to pass it without the majority of the minority.

they just won't do it with immigration reform. they have the opportunity. good are a number of republicans to support it, but they didn't have the political will to put it on the floor. flexibility here in the front. i think the microphones are back there. you will have to go back there. i apologize. hello, i'm currently in public policy fellow. this question is for my congressman. and the other house member. i believe that undocumented .ndividuals contribute but i think this country is a sick addition -- addiction to cheap labor will stop what is -- i think this country has a sick addiction to cheap labor. what will be done for those who are currently employed and undocumented to not become

discriminated against when they are no longer legally considered cheap labor? >> first of all, here is what happened. and i think we should all agree to this. undocumented workers in this country, because of their undocumented status actually lower the wages for american workers. employers take advantage of that labor force and the ability to exploit that labor force. but listen, if you talk to anyone of the 700,000 dreamers that today have taken advantage of that, they all have the same social security card that i do and they have a work permit. and they work here in the workforce. they are no longer exploited. they can now participate fully. ofbringing about, hence immigration reform, -- in bringing about comprehensive immigration reform, we raise the wages of all americans and they are no longer stifled by using an underclass of american

workers. the way to do it is through comprehensive immigration reform, so the wages of everyone can increase. this. just say , foreign hands are going to pick the food in foreign lands, or in america. that is a constant that will continue. who is going to pick the lettuce and tomato and the cucumbers and the grapes? it's always going to be us. notsaid she doesn't leave -- leave miami that much, but i was 45 minutes outside of miami. those in miami, they think of nicaraguans and cubans. and they think of puerto ricans. go 45 minutes outside of miami to anyone of the orchards, the orange orchards that are out there. it is mexicans.

that is all that is out there. the point is, there will always be a need for people to come to this country and to do the backbreaking work. ready to do that. >> i've got to pitch in here. trueeverything you said is . but there is a need for much more than that. we cannot just stereotype ourselves as people who are picking lettuce and tomatoes. it is something that we should be proud that our people are doing. but our people are also tilting -- building computers and s.erating on brain and our people are also teaching in the schools. and we are an aging community, an aging nation here in the united states. we need the influx of new blood in order to do all the jobs. said and that be the image be -- and let the

image be that hispanics are early this or only that. >> the reason i raise that issue - >> [indiscernible] >> because they keep saying, they should all just go. we should just all the port them. deport them.hem -- mitt romney said that they should all leave. >> and what did i say? annna., my point is this. they do dirty, filthy, backbreaking work, and they still get accused of being on welfare and they still get accused of taking food stamps. [applause] let's be clear. spanish]

who is going to do that other work echo -- the other work? and my only point to everyone sureis, i want to make because republicans can sit down with me and say, we will give you all of the doctors to my computer wizards, they can all come. but don't bring any of those mexicans to work in our outer culture. ofy want to have a program the past to deal with our agriculture industry. no more of those programs. spanish] [applause] >> if i could just add to this discussion just a bit. i just returned from houston, texas, where they are exhorting -- absorbing thousands of unaccompanied children into the school children -- the school system.

and i spoke to some of these children who had come here, many of them on their own. little kids, 10-year-old kid to a comfort guatemala, honduras, on their own, on buses, crossing with coyotes. i asked them. there was a group of them at the table and i said, what did you want to be? why did you come here? -- those areeer the people who are our future. they came here to get an education. , many of them who are here, are probably working in the kitchen today. but the dream for their kids is to do what you are saying, to do that. most of us know, and we've seen the movies and documentaries thatwithout the mexicans have come across the border, undocumented at this point, we could not -- a day in this

country without undocumented workers would be a very slow day. most of us know that. we have time for one more question. >> good afternoon, everyone. i'm also from chicago. i'm a teacher there. >> i think you packed the audience. [laughter] >> no, no. i think we just packed the microphone. we are all disappointed that president obama decided to wait until after the midterm election. the problem is, the midterm elections may not turn out his way now. and according to what miss navarrow says -- miss says, there is a chance that republicans could take over the house and the senate. if that were the case, and i don't know if it is, and then the president may decide by executive order to put forth conference of immigration reform. but that also poses the

following. if he does it by executive order, then what are the chances of the republican filing a lawsuit and challenging that? navarro -- ms. they may pass some kind of -- and you say some kind of comprehensive reform. that sounds a little bit disturbing, because it sounds like they will water it down. they will do it some way because now they have control. wouldn't that bring us back to the same issue because it would not be comprehensive enough? we would not be solving this problem. i have to ask you to make your answers short. we do have to wrap up. do you want to take that first, anna? >> sure. if we are going to take over the house and the senate, we will have to push. if the president

takes executive action, republicans will be angry. and i would say to my party, the best way to avoid executive action is to take legislative action. past something. do something. to this or best way any executive action. if each branch does their job, you don't need to supersede the other branch. down and whatring the comprehensive immigration bill is going to look like, i have no idea. i think we would see a lot of pushing from the different constituent groups -- business, labor, faith, etc., family reunification. i have no idea. i'm not ready to pooh-pooh anything. i will be cautiously optimistic until i see something that makes me pessimistic. until then, let me hold onto my little raft of optimism. >> we are going to hold the presidency to the fire.

he has said that he would do something after the election. we are not sitting back and waiting after the elections anymore. we are going right away to fulfill our promise, and more than we anticipated he would do before hand. he owes that much to us at this point. it comes back to what you said before. has been, my family here. my grandparents came here poor. they never anticipated that there grandson will be a member -- that their grandson would be a member of congress today. it's exactly that kind of courage that these people today, that these little kids are experiencing. i have a nine-year-old son. i could never imagine him going around the block, much less a desert to come here to the united states. but it's about the fulfillment of a dream to be everything they can be. and we ought not to deny it. we should welcome it. [applause] whatu asked the question,

if they take over the senate and they keep the house and they file lawsuits and they obstruct? to me say, i welcome that fight. if the president of the united states asked to protect millions of undocumented workers -- ac protect millions of a not committed workers and allow them to come out of the shadows, here's what i believe. i believe that reverend suarez and the tens of thousands of people who are parishioners in his faith-based community are going to unite with the democrats, and some republicans in the house. and i that anna navarro started out fighting for nicaraguans so that over 100,000 of them today could have legalized status in this country. i believe that anna is going to fight. i think everyone in this room is ready for that kind of fight. imagine for a moment the president of the united states makes an announcement. we figure out who the 5 million, 6 million people are.

we get ready to register them and the republican majority decides they will obstruct the process. they will be the end of the republican party as a national party in the united states of america, because then it won't be that the democrats didn't act and that the republicans didn't act. it will be the last act. this will take me 30 seconds. o, bettererstand -- housing. they didn't come through. better education. it didn't come through. we will reduce your property taxes. but this is very different. this is a concrete example of justice for a community of people that we love and cherish and will defend. for the president to act. and let me tell you something. whoever attacks the decision of the president to bring justice and fairness to millions of undocumented immigrants and

allow them to have justice in this country, i'm ready for that fight and i'm ready to join everybody in this room in winning that fight. [applause] >> 30 seconds to wrap it up. >> as is close by saying don't lose faith and don't lose hope. who created us did it all in seven days. every time i have an interview, they ask if i really believe. let's believe together. [speaking spanish] and nobody can stop it. it's going to happen. not want immigration reform. >> thank you very much for attending. i want to lead the applause and thanking or our panelists for leading a very interesting discussion. thank you very much. of realhave a couple

quick announcements before we leave the stage because i've been asked to remind you of a couple of things. first of all, you do not want to miss president obama, who will be here tomorrow evening starting with a reception at 5:00. i understand there may even be some people outside. please be early so you can get through security. they are not guaranteeing admittance after 7:00. the evening is packed with other amazing speakers, special guests, entertainment, and the highesttion of chci's honors. also tell your friends and family they can tune in on our website as well. there's also some social media information i'm told will be on the screen behind me. about tonight.t thank you for joining us. chciconcludes the 2014

public policy conference. thank you very your evening. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2014] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] we'll have live coverage of the president at the congressional hispanic caucus on the c-span networks tomorrow night. news out of the white house this afternoon that secret service hasctor julia pierson resigned following a recent security breach where an intruder jumped the white house fence and entered the residence armed with a knife. homeland security secretary jeh johnson accepted her resignation. he issued a statement saying in part, "i've also determined that scrutiny by a distinguished panel of independent expert said the september 19 incident and related issues concerning the secret service is warranted. the panelists will be named shortly. by the sum of 15, 20 14, this panel will submit to me its own assessment and recommendations concerning security of the white house compound."

c-span tonight, our campaign 2014 coverage continues. live from minnesota with the first debate in the state governor's race. mark dayton faces county commissioner jeff johnson and independent candidate hannah nicollet. here's a look at some of the tv ads released by candidates. >> a few years ago, things in minnesota were not going very well, so we got a new coach. he made the tough decisions, and now things are looking up. we've added over 150,000 new jobs and have one of the fastest-growing economies in the nation. don good record, right? don good coach. >> as governor, i will audit every state program, and i'm pretty thorough. i don't think so. let's just double check that.

mark dayton should be held accountable for wasting our money. his luxury office for politicians proves that he's out of touch with middle-class minnesotans. it's time for a governor who gets it and gets us. just johnson for governor. >> in a state plagued by partisan dysfunction and special interests, a team of extraordinary candidates has stepped forward to restore minnesota's government back to its people. nicollet as governor. together, they are the independents. coming november 4 two a state capital near you. prepared and paid for by the independence party candidates committees. >> that minnesota governor's debate coming up tonight at 8:00 eastern here on c-span. right now, we take you to texas where governor rick perry is retiring after 14 years in

office. democratic state senator wendy davis and republican state attorney general greg abbott are running to replace governor perry. their debate from dallas last night is one hour. >> the texas debate race for governor is brought to you by telemundo 39, "the dallas morning news," the texas association of broadcasters, other partners, and texas public media stations. >> welcome to the texas debate, race for governor. i will be the moderator during the next hour as we bring you the last statewide televised debate the between the leading candidates for governor. >> elect me as governor and i will get texas moving again. >> greg abbott worked as a lawyer in houston after receiving a law degree from vanderbilt university.

he was elected as a state district judge and a texas supreme court justice before winning his current seat as attorney general. >> i am running because i will be a governor who will fight for every single hard-working texan. >> wendy davis is the democratic nominee for governor. she is a fort worth attorney with a degree from harvard law school. davis served on the fort worth city council before voters elected her to her current seat as the texas state senator in 2009. thank you to both of you for being with us tonight. we appreciate you coming. you will be answering questions from each other and also questions from a panel of journalists. bryan curtis from nbc 5, "the san antonio express news" and

the "houston chronicle," norma garcia from telemundo 39. she will have social media questions. you can join the debate on twitter. we will be sharing some of your comments during the broadcast. for this first set of questions, candidates will have a minute to respond and an opportunity for rebuttal. based on a coin toss, attorney general abbott you will get the first question. >> good evening. tonight, the eyes of the nation are on texas and dallas with the news that the first ebola patient diagnosed here in the united states is here. if you are governor today, leaves outlined the immediate steps you would take to protect the people of texas. >> i would do what i did earlier today.

i would speak with the commissioner of health and human services here in the state of texas. find out what our game plan is and where we are going. i learned that the texas hospital plan is one of the few locations in the country that is prepared to deal with ebola. the commissioner is working with the cdc to ensure the situation is properly addressed. we need to understand the concerns that people at home have as well as the health of the person who has or may have this disease. we have seen already the innovative way in which the united states is able to come up with drug therapies that can effectively treat and even eliminate this disease. we are proud that we are national leaders in this effort. as governor, i would ensure that we would explore every possibility.

>> senator davis, please outline the immediate steps you would take to protect the people of texas. >> my sympathies go out to the person who has been affected by this disease and the people with this patient. i had an opportunity to speak with our dallas county judge and he reassured me that with a world-class hospital system here, i have them place the protocols to make sure that medical professionals who treat this patient will be safe and that they will be able to contain this disease. he asked that we consider helping our public community to remain calm. this is not an airborne disease. we talked about the coordinated effort that should and will occur between the county, the state, and the federal cdc in order to assure that we are taking all precautions necessary not to see further incidences of

this disease in our community. as governor, that coordination would be my primary purpose. in helping the public to understand. >> we will give each of you another 45 seconds for rebuttal. >> under what circumstances might quarantines be necessary? >> the threshold has been met. we want to ensure that the ebola disease cannot expand any further. the ambulance and transported the person has already been quarantined. we need to make sure that anyone who has been exposed to this will be quarantines. one of the first and foremost obligations of our state and our nation is to ensure that this disease does not spread any further whatsoever and that we bring to bear the medicines better able to cure those doctors that came back to the

united states last month. ensure that we are able to eliminate this disease. >> senator davis, where is the threshold for you? >> as i discussed with judge jenkins this evening, or will be and has already quarantines in place for this particular patient. protocols are being followed. utilizing those resources and drugs available to us that we know successfully treated other medical professionals who had been in west africa. will be administered to this

patient. as soon as we know that we have someone who is suffering from this disease and immediate quarantines if necessary and called for. >> our second question goes to senator davis. >> there is not a topic that gets parents and teachers more angry than standardized tests. both of you say that you would cut the number of standardized student tests. how should test results be used and to what extent should test scores be used to determine whether a student graduates or advances to the next level? >> i have been a leader in making sure that we reduce standardized testing in this state. i was a co-author of a bill last session to reduce from our high school students 15 to 5. tests are important measures to determine where students' strengths and weaknesses are and they should be used for that purpose so that teachers can

understand where the holes are and what they need to do. i, unlike my opponent, would never advocate the idea that we expand the use of standardized tests to four-year-olds. he has laid out a plan for his pre-k funding programs that would include the use of standardized tools in children as young as four years old. >> mr. abbott? >> let me respond and clarify to make sure that people understand that contrary to what senator davis said, i no more want four-year-olds to take tests than i want a cow to jump over the moon. i want to build a strong foundation for our children to getting at pre-k going all the way through third grade to ensure that every child in texas will be able to read and do math at or above grade level.

i have seen this firsthand. my wife has been both a teacher and the principal. we have seen the ways education can transform the lives of children. the way we do that is by placing trust where it belongs and that is what our teachers. >> is this our rebuttal time? >> how much weight does it have in the evaluation of teachers? >> determining whether students are increasing their performance levels. the not the high-stakes standardized tests we have in place today. it is important to make sure we are measuring performance, but we are not discouraging good teachers from going into

classrooms that will be helping the most challenging of students. teachers should be rewarded for showing that progress. i disagree with mr. abbott. his plan on page 21 calls for standardized testing of our four-year-olds. i can tell you in my time on the campaign trail and in all my years in the senate, i have never had a parent tell me they think we need more standardized tests. i will fight to make sure we have fewer standardized tests across the board in texas and the high pressure that has been associated with them goes away. >> what i would like to urge everyone to do is to go to gregabbott.com.

you can check out my education plan. i want to genuinely elevate the texas education system to be ranked number one in the nation. we do that by starting with the fundamental building blocks for reading and writing from the very beginning. providing tools and technologies to student so they are able to get plugged into the most advanced learning opportunities, and also so they are prepared for the high-paying jobs of the future. with regard to evaluations of teachers, i think it is important that decisions like that should be made at local control. part of my plan focuses on returning education where it should be, and that is at the local level. i plan would lead us there and will lead us to be ranked number one in the nation.

>> we have been asking the public to e-mail and tweet questions for the candidates. we will go now to norma garcia. >> we have received hundreds of questions and we will continue to receive them throughout the debate. you can see many of them at the bottom of the screen. in our first question, it comes from fort worth. what is your position in providing drivers permits for undocumented immigrants? there is an effort to reintroduce a bill that would provide drivers permits to undocumented immigrants. this would be a state id. would you support that bill? >> we have seen problems with laws like that be challenged by the federal id act.

before we go down the pathway of trying to create these differentiated types of drivers licenses, we need to make sure that we are complying with federal law and not providing licenses that others could use for inappropriate purposes. >> senator davis, you have said you would be in favor of providing drivers permits. why should they get special treatment? could this create a registry of second-class individuals? >> i do not believe it creates special treatment for undocumented immigrants. the fact that people are driving on our roads across the state today who do not have the appropriate training and who are not insured. unless we create some system that provides a driver permits for every driver on the road, we cannot assure those two things.

other states have successfully done this, requiring an exchange for the permit, special training to make sure we have saved drivers on the road, and proof of insurance. in my time at the texas senator, i heard repeatedly from people who were involved in accidents with uninsured drivers, in many instances, who were not in our state or country legally. i believe these driver permits and the requirement of insurance is important to keep all drivers safe on the road. >> we now have time for rebuttal. >> what should undocumented immigrants do in the meantime? >> you really raise the pivotal question. we are dealing with a challenge, whether it be with drivers license or so many other issues, we are dealing with undocumented individuals.

this problem is never going to be fixed as long as we have the broken immigration system that we have. we want to fix the problem about assuring those who are here are driving safely on the road. what we really need to do is fix our broken immigration system. once we do that, all of these peripheral issues will be resolved. >> senator davis, what should the state do in the meantime? >> i support comprehensive immigration reform and making sure that if are willing to pass a background check, learn english, and pay back taxes, they have a path to become a legal worker here. let's face it, we are not going to see that happen any time soon because congress has failed to do its job to pass the kind of reform.

i believe the texas can't wait. in this next legislative session, we do need to address the issue of making sure that every driver on our roads have proper training and is insured to keep other drivers on our roads safe. >> thank you very much. we will return to questions for both of our candidates. we want to spend a little time and talk with both of you about something that is relevant with respect to your serving as governor. >> i would like to ask about the intersection of your public office and private business. as a senator, you voted on north texas tollway legislation while the authority was a client of your law firm. it has prompted an ethics complaint from your opponent.

do critics have a right to say you should have gone further to avoid an appearance of a conflict? >> i have been very careful. first and foremost, as a public servant, my job has always been in my duty has always been to the people that i represent. it is not a surprise to me that general abbott has brought these accusations forward in a myriad of ways to deflect from his failed record. he has sold out hard-working texans time and time again in the interest of people who make donations to his campaign. whether that is chemical companies and received a ruling from him that they can now keep secret the location of their dangerous chemicals, whether it is payday lenders who received a ruling that they can operate in

a loophole in the law, whether it is taking money from the hospital board chair when there was a surgeon operating under that administration and harming and hurting many patients and taking money and siding with the hospital. we see it over and over again. >> can i ask you to address the question about your own dealings? >> i've always operated within the ethical requirements and i've been very careful to do so. at every level of government i have served. i think the people who know me and know my record know this -- i fight for the people i represent. i put the hard-working texans that i represent first and foremost and everything that i do. i have been willing to stand up to the biggest, baddest bullies

in the world in order to fight for them. that is why i am in public office. that is my record as a public servant. >> thank you. we now have a question about ethics for you, attorney general. your critics claim that there has been a pattern of you using your office to reward political contributors. the most recent situation has involved the texas enterprise fund. lastly, we learned you received more than a million dollars in campaign donations from parties who received money from that fund, even though an auditor says some never formally applied for the money and they did not prove or could prove they would create new jobs. state law requires you to oversee the fund. did you know millions of taxpayer dollars were being

handed out without adequate scrutiny? if you didn't, why didn't you know? >> no politician is above the law. i am pleased that the state auditor conducted an independent investigation to look at every last detail about what happened. after that independent investigation, he wrote a report and in that report, it numbered 107 pages, and in that 107 pages, the auditor looked at the conduct of my office. there was nothing in their critical of either me or my office. >> he did say that there was no scrutiny for a lot of these awards. should there have been? why didn't we know? why didn't you know?

>> there have been different iterations that allowed the funding. when the funding was first allowed, the legislature constructed it, there were no rules or regulations. >> did anybody speak up? >> they did speak up, two years later. that is when it was reformed. those reforms helped put it on a better place. there is a bigger point that needs to be made. as you know, from the beginning of my campaign, i have been questioning this very fund. >> let me go back to one thing that reporters want to hear you answer tonight. your agency told reporters who looked into the applications that they could not see them because there was confidential information.

in at least five cases, where you were denying access to the applications, there weren't any applications. why deny access to something that doesn't exist? >> our office did issue an opinion based on open records decision that certain information could not be disclosed because of laws passed by the legislature that prohibited them from being disclosed. our office ruled that other parts of the information could be disclosed. >> but there were no applications. >> what has been released is a letter that is about nine or 10 pages long that is the equivalent of an application. at that time, there was no prescription for an application and that is one of the things the legislature corrected.

>> thank you very much. we now go back to our questions for both of you. >> you both say texas children deserve a first-class education. texas ranks 46 in the nation when it comes to the amount of money we spent on each student. about $9,000. $500 less per student than we spent just a few years ago. senator davis, we know you support more funding for education. what is the price tag for your plan? please give us a dollar amount. >> cuts that my opponent have been fighting in court to keep in place ever since. cuts that he told a tv audience last week that he had to continue to pursue when that is absolutely not the truth.

my plan calls for investing in making sure that every four-year-old in the state has access to quality full day pre-k, that we pay our teachers more in line with national average, that we reduce standardized testing and we create access to dual credit classes. that comes at a price. the question to ask -- what price will be pay as a state if we don't? it will not happen overnight. it is essential for the future of the state that it does happen. >> attorney general abbott, you say you want the number one education system in the country. how much additional money per student, if any, would your plan require?

>> it varies from program to program. in my pre-k 4 program, i want to add $1500 more per student. you also need to look at the big picture. the amount we are going to spend on education in the next biennium is going to be $60 billion. the important thing is that we be wise and strategic about how we dedicate the money. i want to build a solid foundation for education in the very beginning from pre-k all the way through third grade. i do want to invest in teachers. i want to ensure that teachers have the resources, the training, and the salaries to ensure we have the best top-quality teachers in america.

>> senator davis, i did not hear a dollar amount from you. >> mr. abbott, you are talking out of both sides of your mouth. you are fighting to keep our students in overcrowded classrooms, teachers laid off across the state, and school closings in place. yet you say you want to make texas number one in education. you cannot accomplish that goal without making the appropriate investments. you talk about local control, what you really mean is exactly what has been happening today. pushing those costs down to the local level, increasing property taxes for families across the state. unfortunately, keeping their children in a situation where they are not getting the education that they deserve. your pre-k plan will pick and choose which children get quality pre-k.

>> so no dollar amount? >> this is a vision that will be set for the legislature. it has to be looked at in two very important ways. i did file a bill to change the school funding formula in the last legislative session that would increase per-pupil funding. if we do not make those investments, we know we will continue exactly where we are today. >> the amount of money you were talking about increasing spending per-pupil does not get us to the national average, which is about $11,000. should we be at least at the national level? >> we need to look at it from the opposite direction. the way you are looking at it in the way you are focusing on it is the way a lot of people do. how much should be spent?

no business starts out by saying, we need to spend x amount and then create the product. we need to create a best school system in america and then fund it. we need to talk about what we are providing the students in the classroom. my plan creates the best classroom environment for students in the united states from pre-k all the way through graduation. >> by spending below the national average per-pupil? >> answer this quickly, please. >> california spends a lot more per-pupil than does texas. texas students perform as well as, if not better, on many tests. more spending does not always lead to better results.

>> our next question goes to attorney general abbott. >> a whole bunch of states rejected obamacare. several came up with using those federal dollars to use their own system. texas turning its back on federal money. would you be willing to negotiate with the federal government on a plan that lowers premiums as well as reduces the local tax burden or would you refuse to talk to washington and make a deal? >> what i think is the best strategy for the state of texas would be for the state of texas to be able to get a grant or we would have the level of flexibility so we could address

the unique health care challenges the people of the state of texas face. these bureaucrats in washington, they do not know how to address our health care problems. >> i hate to cut you off. even conservatives say block grants are not a practical solution. >> they have been used effectively in states like rhode island and indiana and i think they can be used now. i have laid out strategies which i will improve health care spending on areas where we can improve people's lives. i want to increase spending on women's health care. i want to increase spending for veterans, disabled, for mental health needs. what i don't want to do is to bankrupt texas by opposing the overwhelming obamacare disaster. >> if elected governor, you would be dealing with an overwhelmingly republican legislature unless democrats get everything they want in

november. how would you bring $100 billion to texas? >> this is an issue about doing the right thing for the people in the state. i have to laugh when i hear mr. abbott talk about bankrupting texas. as governor, i will bring it back. greg abbott's plan is to help you write that tax check and send it to california and new york. he is california's best friend in texas. there is a reason republican governors have found the solution to bring that money to that state. they have all come forward begging us to do the right thing and bring the money back to work for us. it will create an estimated 300,000 jobs per year in our state.

a true leader stops partisan posturing and does the right thing for her state. >> time for rebuttal. >> the six largest counties in the state want some sort of solution. >> if anyone believes that california is getting any more money because texas is not participating in obamacare, they are the same people who believed the phrase by the president -- if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. california is not going to get one single penny more. if texas does participate in obamacare, it will cost the taxpayers of texas more than $10 billion during the first 10

years of implementation. even worse is if texas participates, we are making a deal with a federal government that is $18 trillion in debt. that is a bargain i am not willing to make. >> what he is saying is absolutely not true. our tax dollars will go to supplement health care in california and new york if we do not bring them back here. our checks that we write to the irs will not get any smaller. the checks we write for our property taxes will grow. there is a reason that republican and democratic county judges around the state have come together and unified around the idea of bringing that tax money back to work for us. they know their hospital districts will have to increase taxes in order to take care of that unfunded care. our investment to bring those dollars down will yield a net tremendous positive benefit for the state, including the job creation.

>> thank you to both of you. we're going to give the candidates an opportunity to ask each other the question. we flipped a coin and we will start with attorney general abbott. >> i noticed that you said recently that you want to impose obamacare on the people of texas so badly that even if the conservative texas legislature would not vote to approve it, you would go around the legislature and use an executive order to impose obamacare on the people of texas. what part of the texas constitution gives the governor the authority to go around the legislature and use an executive order to impose a law like obamacare?

>> what i have argued is that we should bring medicaid expansion to texas. medicaid expansion is all about bringing our tax dollars back to work for us. as a member of the texas legislature, i can tell you that every hospital association, every chamber of commerce member, republicans alike in our texas legislature, agreed that we should do the right thing by our state and bring that money back to work for us. what i would prefer to do and what i will do is work with my legislature, republicans and democrats alike, who know that this is the right thing to do for their communities, who aren't afraid of being labeled as partisans and you are more interested in doing right by their citizens. i will work with them to bring their tax dollars back to texas

and to keep property taxes from increasing. there is no question whatsoever that if we don't bring this money back to work for us, our citizens across the state are going to pay twice. once to the irs and another time at the local level because someone will have to pay for the unfunded care somehow, someway. >> senator davis, it is now your turn to ask a question. >> your ruling regarding the texas enterprise fund kept secret the fact that tens of millions of dollars have been awarded from the texas enterprise fund to companies who did not even apply. my question for you tonight is -- will you agree to release any documentation, any communications that represent

communications that you had in that time in reaching a decision? >> i think you may be able to help in answering this question. if i recall correctly, one of the beneficiaries of that enterprise fund, whose application cannot be found, was in fort worth. when you were a councilwoman on the fort worth city council, you used taxpayer incentive dollars to attract and they benefited from the texas enterprise fund. there is one thing that you have not disclosed. the fact that when you used the fund to attract them, and closed the deal, it was your title company that benefited by closing that deal.

you personally profited. >> you are not telling the truth right now and you know you aren't telling the truth. i did not personally profit from that. we did have an application that we reviewed very carefully. we also, unlike what your office did, clawed back when they failed to realize the job creation numbers they promised. my obligation is to the hard-working people that i represent. when private partners don't come through on their promises, i make sure that our public dollars are clawed back. you are the chief law enforcement officer over the enterprise fund. it was your responsibility to make sure that the tens of millions of dollars going to these companies were resulting in jobs and you failed to do that. you covered up the fact that they were given money without applying. >> we do want to give you an opportunity to respond.

>> i would like to respond by knowing how much your title company received by closing the deal that was granted an award from the texas enterprise fund. >> it was not my title company. i was an employee of a title company. mr. abbott, this is about your failure. your failure as the chief law enforcement officer of the state to review and make sure that these funds were not being used as slush funds for your donors. >> thank you. >> you took $1.4 million in donations. >> we are going to move on. we have a question that goes to you, senator davis. >> traffic is a headache around the state.

transportation officials say they will need another two to $3 billion to maintain the current level of congestion. how do you raise the money? would you take higher tolls off the table? >> i have long been a leader in the area of transportation. i served for eight years on the regional transportation council and six years on the senate transportation committee. i was proud to be a co-author of what are voters will vote on in november, proposition 1, something that my opponent let your go by before he weighed in on supporting it. i also have a plan to gradually and the diversions coming from the gasoline tax and i submitted that plan in the form of a bill

last session. that would allow us to capture an additional 4-5 billion dollars with a gradual step down and a plan to fill the hole were those diversions would end. >> tolls off the table? >> i think i have a good commercial. my commercial shows me in a wheelchair, i can go faster than some of the people in cars on the roads here in dallas or other large cities. i have a plan that will add more than $4 billion to building roads in the state without raising a single penny in taxes, fees, or tolls.

we stopped the diversions from funding that was dedicated to building roads. we take part of the oil and gas severance tax and dedicate that to building roads. we take part of the sales taxes that you are already paying and use it to build roads that those cars and tracks are driving on. >> should higher tolls be part of the mix? >> i believe it has been a poor solution for texans to have to pay twice. they're paying at the gasoline pump and then have to pay again to drive on toll roads. they are doing that because we have not had leadership who provides other alternatives for building them.

i am glad mr. abbott agrees with my plan. the end to diversions is a bill that i filed in the last session. my plan includes a way to replace the hole that is left by ending those diversions. much of that money is going to education and health and human services. >> thank you, senator. >> we need to go back to a pay-as-you-go system as a state. >> would you take tolls off the table? >> my plan does not involve any toll roads. i am not interested in adding toll roads. >> thank you. i have the next question. in the past year, texas insurance companies have imposed some very big rate increases, as much as 30% for one company.

we have a system in this state that allows companies to increase their insurance rates before they are actually reviewed. do you think rates in the state are too high for homeowners? >> there is probably not a homeowner at home the does not think that the rates are too high. i do think we need to find ways to reduce homeowner insurance rates. they are going through the roof, no pun intended. we have to have a marketplace that will attract the insurance companies here to provide homeowner insurance. >> do think rates are adequate? >> candidly, i have not looked at the math of it. i have not looked at the actual information. as a person who talks to homeowners every day, we want to find ways where we can drive

down the cost of our insurance. i will be someone who will be a champion for homeowners to find those types of solutions. >> we won't be having rebuttal on the last few questions because we are running type on time. are the rates too high? >> the rates are ridiculously high. homeowners are being gouged in our state. we have insurance commissioner who is failing to do her job and responsibly review the rate increases and decline them. i have argued that we should have prior approval of rate increases in our state before they are allowed. one of the first things i will do as governor is replace the insurance commissioner and put someone there who has as her one responsibility, the hard-working people of the state.

mr. abbott has taken enormous contributions. most recently, advocated a settlement on behalf of farmers insurance. the judge accused him of laying down to the insurance company. he was selling out the claimants in our state. >> we're now going to go to norma garcia. >> there is still time to join the conversation. tweet us right now. this 10-year-old girl asks you whether her two dads should be allowed to get married? would you push to repeal the constitutional amendment that makes gay marriage illegal in

texas? how high is this topic in your list of prior deeds? >> i favor marriage equality. i want to make sure that people who love each other, who are willing to be in a committed relationship with each other, and who desire to marry in our state have the opportunity to do so. this is a constitutional provision in our law and it has been challenged. it has been challenged by mr. abbott. if this is not remedied in the courts, as governor, i will be happy and will welcome a bill that would allow us to put once again before the voters of the state a decision on whether to repeal what is currently the constitutional ban against marriage equality.

>> you are leading the fight against gay marriage. >> there are good and decent people on both sides of this issue. i believe in traditional marriage. that is what 75% of texans agreed with less than a decade ago when they passed the amendment, saying that marriage in texas is a union between one man and one woman. for me personally, this is more than a constitutional amendment. i've been married to my wife for more than 33 years. >> is that what you would tell the 10-year-old? >> thank you. >> this question goes first. >> i would like to ask each of

you to clarify your position on an issue that has been front and center. that is abortion. attorney general abbott, you have said that abortion is only acceptable to save a woman's life. you've also indicated that you oppose abortion even in cases of rape and incest. please speak directly to every woman in texas and explain your position. >> it is incredibly important whenever we talk to a woman who is a victim of rape or incest that we start with the compassion and support they deserve. that is what i have done as attorney general, by providing a record amount of financial support of victims, supporting women who have been victims. by arresting more sexual predators than all attorney generals in the history of the state of texas.

you bring up the issue. you know that i am pro-life. i'm catholic. i want to promote a culture of life that supports both the health and safety of both the mother and child before and after birth. in texas, let's be clear about the law. a woman has five months to make a very difficult decision. >> senator davis? >> you catapulted into the spotlight on this issue with your filibuster against abortion restrictions. but you recently told the editorial board that you might have not filibustered -- what kind of abortion restrictions are you willing to accept? >> it is a woman -- it is for a woman to make these very

difficult decisions. i do not believe the government should intrude in that most personal and private of decision-making. greg abbott believes that it is his right to intrude, even when a woman has been a brutal victim of a rape or has been the victim of incest. this should come as no surprise to us given that his attitudes towards women have revealed themselves in other ways. he pays women in his office less than he pays male assistant attorney generals. he campaigned with a known sexual predator. >> what about your position? >> we are very close on time. we will only have 45 seconds for each answer.

>> as you know, texas has a law that allows undocumented immigrant students to pay in-state tuition. will you allow undocumented students such a benefit? >> it is good for our economy to make sure that every person who lives here has an opportunity to be a vibrant part of the texas economy. i have met so many extraordinary young people who are dreamers, who are here working hard to become something. a young woman named dani who is working on becoming a teacher. she graduated in the top 10% of her high school class. my opponent has called the dream act flawed. i support the dream act. if there is any attempt to repeal it and i'm sitting at the governor's desk, i will veto that attempt. it makes sense for our students.

it makes sense for our economy. >> you did say the law was a noble effort. would you veto a bill from the legislature to repeal this law? >> i think the goals of the law -- the law as constructed is flawed. the way that it is supposed to work is a student is supposed to be showing they are making progress toward establishing legal status. that is not being done. all these laws, those are only symptoms of a larger problem. the larger problem is we have a broken immigration system.

>> thank you. >> veto -- yes or no? >> no. >> thank you very much. i wish we had more time. we will like to give each of you an opportunity to make a closing statement. >> the question people will have to ask themselves in this election -- who will fight for me? i have a history of fighting for the people i represent. i have stood for making sure that women are paid equally for doing equal work and that hard-working texans can earn a fair day's wage for an honest days pay.

i also helped pass a bill to hold accountable the use of our enterprise fund which is meant to create jobs. my opponent has cozied up with a big insurance company and turned a blind eye when they have taken advantage of you. turned a blind eye when they have taken advantage of you. worst of all, we learned he took over $1 million of the recipients of the texas enterprise fund, funds not monitored by him to assure they were creating jobs that were promised. even worse than that, he used the power of his office to cover up the fact that $170 million went out of that fund for people who did not even fill out an application for them. texans will have a choice in this election. and i want them to know, if they give me the privilege of serving them as governor, i will fight for them, every single day. thank you. >> attorney general abbott, your

statement? >> i have been fighting for your liberty against an overreaching federal government. i elevated the texas child support system to be ranked number one in the nation, and i fought to defend the 10 commandments monument on the texas capitol grounds, and we won. now i want to fight for the future of texas as your next governor. number oneready in the nation for creating jobs. i will keep it that way by keeping taxes low and making sure we don't that the government grow too big. keepl make sure -- i will our communities they, from the rio grande -- safe, from the rio grande valley all the way to the red river. amas is exceptional, and i running for governor and asking for your vote to make it even better. >> i want to thank both candidates and my colleagues for joining us for this texas

debate tonight. a election day is november 4th. good night. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2014] >> and other governors debate tonight, in arizona, where incumbent democrat mike -- mark dayton is eking a second term . that is at a clock p.m. eastern on c-span. we had a preview of the debate from a political reporter in minnesota. >> in a midterm election year with a number of governors in tight reelection battles, real clear politics shows mark dayton is ahead as he seeks a second term. joining us is patrick condon, who covers politics and government for the "star tribune." >> in advance of tonight's debate, what are you looking for? size up the race so far. somell, it has been to

degree a quiet race compared to how governor races have gone in minnesota the last few cycles. the incumbent governor mark dayton has been ahead pretty consistently in polls. his republican opponent, jeff johnson, the hennepin county commissioner, has kept a light schedule of public appearances, has struggled a little to keep up with dayton's fundraising, though he recently closed the gap a little bit. each campaign has only aired one tv commercial so far, which for this late in the cycle is somewhat unusual. to a large degree, tonight's debate will be sort of an early chance to see these two interact with each other and sort of frame the race in a way to the larger public that has not necessarily happened yet. voters998 minnesota

elected an independent, jesse ventura. he served one term, and there is an independent party candidate on the ballot this year. >> her name is hannah nicolett. she is kind of an unknown quantity. she never ran for public office before, though she has a long background in independent party politics. she campaigned for ross perot as a teenager in the 1990's. she kind of struggled to make an imprint in the race so far. even after governor ventura left office, independent party candidates were factors in races. agocandidate four years got 12% of the vote, enough to make the democrat and republican pay attention. so far, she is only polling in low single digits.

ae "star tribune" had a poll few weeks ago with her only at 1%, compared to 45% for dayton and 33% for johnson. tonight will be by far her biggest fat from so far in the race. we will see what she does. >> why is governor dayton currently ahead in a year where so many democratic and republican governors seeking second terms are in tough batt les? >> a couple reasons. jeff johnson, his republican opponent, is not very well known. showedl i mentioned, him with very low name recognition. if i remember, it was only 33% of respondents had heard him. another 40% had no opinion on him, good or bad. that's kind of alarming for a

statewide candidate this late in the cycle. so for whatever reason he is not out, andet his name that helps governor dayton, who was extremely well done. -- extremely well known. a 30-year veteran of state politics in minnesota. our poll found him with 100% name recognition, and he had a very busy first term, with accomplishments and setbaks. -- setbacks. he pushed through funding for a new vikings stadium, championed an income tax increase that passed. he signed a bill legalizing gay billage, signed a raising the minimum wage, led the implementation of minnesota's health insurance exchange under obamacare. so, support him or not, the governor has had a busy first

term, and i think that in some part probably explains why he stayed ahead. >> compared to the rest of the country, how is minnesota's economy today, and how does that help or hurt governor dayton? >> we have got some good econ omic news of late, going back to the last year or two. as the entire country has kind of come out of recession, minnesota has sort of led that. we have one of the lowest state and the claimant -- un employment rates in the country, and the governor pointed to that a lot, talking about where minnesota was when he took office four years ago, and where we are now. one of the central arguments of his campaign. now, there are warning signs, woo, that -- too, that the johnson campaign has been

pointing to. minnesota lag nationallys and in the midwest in private sector job creation. the johnson campaign will say attributable in large part to the income tax increases that are sort of the signature issue of the governor's first term. so there is fodder for both sides, but even johnson himself has sort of had to ignore -- minnesota'sthat economy is not in bad shape. first ofy, this is the five debate in the minnesota governor's race. what are you looking for tonight? >> like i said, this is sort of a chance for both candidates to make an opening argument in the presence of each other. we have not seen them yet directly engage with each other, through press conferences or

proxies. so it will be interesting to see how they interact with each other. neither of these guys are necessarily known as formidable debaters. the governor has sometimes a tendency to get a little tongue-tied. commissioner johnson is very mild-mannered. so it will be interesting. i will be watching for how aggressively they take each other on. they get together on the defense quickly, and what the divide is between them. >> we will look for you reporting online at startribune.com. patrick condon, who covers politics, joining us from st. paul, minnesota. appreciate you being with us. >> thanks, steve. >> you can see the minnesota governor's race with democrat mark dayton, demo -- republican jeff johnson, and independence party candidate hanna nicollett.

district,nia's 52nd scott peters is seeking a second term. the democrat was elected in 2012 and 51% of the vote, this year his challenger is former city councilman carl demaio. here is a look at a recent debate between the candidates. >> why washington is broken. you get the special interests who load up big bills, and we crowd at the issues people agree on. here is an issue everyone agrees on. we need to secure the border first. we need to put the resources and accountability behind securing the border. an only so we can prevent immigration system where people get to run to the front of the line, but also for national security issues. who knows who is able to cross into the border in terms of terrorist groups that may want to harm the american people. so border security is critical.

instead of focusing on something that democrats and republicans and independents and look at the -- and look at the polling. latinos support a secure border. democrats support a secure border. but members of congress constantly want to put poison pills in the bills that become thousands of pages long. and then they sit there and point fingers at each other. i think we need to focus on on issues where we see great unity in the country. securing the border and should be a single subject bill. i think it would get bipartisan support if we focused on the area of agreement. >> this is the magic of mr. demaio confusing the issue. there is no disagreement in the senate. we have a bipartisan approach. part of it is securing the border. they want to build a fence all the way across the border and virtually double the size of the border patrol. republicans and democrats agreed on the compromise. we can't get a vote because the figure of the house, mr. weiner,

will not even put it up for a vote. this is something i wish everyone agrees. the u.s. chamber of commerce and labor community, faith community and the tech community all agree. we also know this next analysts -- business analyst, the harvard business school that this is one of the most important things we can do to get job creation going, get the economy going. how important would that be to san diego? all we need is the speaker to put this before the house and we would have immigration reform the next day. flex our campaign 2014 debate coverage continues. tonight at 8:00, live coverage of the minnesota governor's debate between mark dayton, jeff nicollet.nd hannah thesday, live coverage of oklahoma governor's debate between government and mary fallin. the nebraska,

governor's debate between democrat check out -- chuck hasslebrook and pete rickett. and the montana u.s. house debate between john lewis and ryan zinke. c-span 2014, more than 100 debates for the control of congress. >> the senate's second ranking democrat, dick durbin of illinois, is seeking a fourth term in congress. he and his republican challenger met with the chicago tribune editorial board to answer questions. >> thank you for doing this. we really appreciate you taking the time. thank you. i look forward to a great conversation. engageurage you to each other.

do not be offended if we touch few things during the discussion. there is a lot to talk about. my vote, youant have 90 seconds to explain to me why you deserve my vote. what would you tell them? >> i would tell voters this election is very important. people died for that right. take it seriously. don't stay home. second, take a close look at issues in the election. there is a sharp contrast between the candidates. stake is the future of the middle class in our country and our state, and working families need help. the best way they can get help is for washington to focus on the basics. let's increase the minimum wage

so people who get up and work every single day are treated with dignity and can get by. secondly, let's help pay for your kids' college education and let them renegotiate loans at lower interest rates so your son or daughter can go to college and take care of them in a short time. also, whether you are rich or poor, you have access to quality health insurance. too many americans before the affordable care act had no access at all. those issues and making sure you have health care are essential in the election. arkre is a's dark -- a st contrast between us. pposes raising the minimum wage. he voted against it in -- student aid in springfield. he wants to repeal the affordable care act, which might daughter son or

graduating from college will not have health insurance. hasy opponent, mr. drubin, been in washington now for 32 years. that's too longh. there is a tendency for him to want to do things to get reelected. we should have citizen legislators, like myself, people interested in voting in ways that are good for our country and state as opposed to good for reelection. 32 years is too long for anyone to serve. when we look at economics and how poor and middle class families, when my opponent last ran for reelection the average family hasn illinois declined by $5,000. it's time for a change. >> senator durbin, one criticism

stently, ison consi the inability to move legislation. defend's harry reid's responsibility to not move bipartisan bills? votes that would help jobs, sayrans, and some people harry reid has taken this blockage farther than any leader in the past. >> we are facing something we have never seen before in the senate. the incidence of filibusters by republicans has broken all records. they used to be two or three a year. now there are over 135 every year, slowing the senate to a crawl as republicans demand exceed both on measure after measure after measure. occasionally we break through. the conference of immigration

reform bill is a great example. i worked on it last year, sat across from my friend and colleague john mccain. we had differences, but four senators and four republicans created a bill that passed the seanate. speaker boehner for a year and a half never called the legislation. when we sent them be farm bill, it took him three years to pass the bill. the market place ernest -- fair ness bill, maybe the most important for small businesses, i passed that with a bipartisan rollcall. never called by speaker boehner. that's troubling. he has an obligation, as we do too, to consider bipartisan legislation. theotes to repeal affordable care act or whatever it is -- >> any criticism for your

leadership? >> there are bills we could call if we could reach an agreement on the floor, and i hope we do. but we sent him significant bipartisan legislation that the president supports, and he waits a year and a half and never calls the measure even for debate on the floor. >> but if you look at the ratio of bills, the house has called more bills, sitting on maybe 50 bills. how do you get to 350 bipartisan bills? >> you slipped in the word bipartisan, and that a significant. the bills sent to us by speaker boehner, over and over they are basically press releases. the key issues facing our country, as basic as whether or not we will deal with our broken immigration system. we put a lot of time into that, six months of negotiation.

>> unquestioning a bill they sent that would have given the director more authority -- >> we would pass that. that's an example. they would send us an individual bill. when we had the be a crisis, -- v.a. crisis, we passed a bill. >> if you and senate democrats are not willing to accept any responsibility -- >> i accept, i do, and i think we can do better. i worked on the simpson bowles commission with republican senators. the measures i talked about our bipartisan. now, so wheng we get back in session we can bring a bill to the floor for consideration. it might not be a top-down solution, it's a bottom-up. allies,he most unlikely

joe manchin of west virginia and patrick toomey of pennsylvania, after the terrible, horrible shooting in connecticut, came forward with bipartisan legislation toward universal background checks to keep guns out of the hands of violent criminals and people who are mentally unstable. that was bipartisan. we passed it. it went nowhere in the house of representatives. my opponent opposes universal back rent checks are in that's what he got the endorsement of the nra. but most people think they are a good idea. .e have a bipartisan bill >> how would you break the logjam? >> i would say i have been successful in greenfield. -- springfield. i would take the example of ronald reagan and tip o'neill, who had very different political philosophies yet managed to work

together as gentlemen. in springfield i worked with senator marty sandoval, who is quite distant from me in political philosophy. we became friends and we are known around springfield as the odd couple because we have been able to work together. i don't believe it has to be nasty. i don't believe we have to be totally partisan, as senator durbin has been in so many instances. i will look at legislation and try to come up with the best solutions, listen to the other side, and try to come up with bipartisan solutions. gauge yourrd to level of bipartisanship in stringfield because you were there such a short time. we talked about the perennial run for office. why jump so quickly into another race for you fulfilled an obligation? >> i have been there for two

years. it doesn't take two years to learn your way around springfield. it does take a few months. it is difficult to get things done when you are in the vast minority, 19 out of 59, but we did get legislation passed to i ncrease speed limits on interstates in illinois. the reason i ran for this, a number of people asked me to do so, because this is a very important election. it will help change the direction of our country. i believe we need more balance in stringfield, which a republican governor would bring to balance the legislature. i believe if i'm elected to eat, it is likely republicans will take control of the senate, so you will have

balance. it will allow the logjam of legislation to move forward, to be discussed, voted on, and hopefully more of it passes. then the president can agree or veto it. it might mean republicans would sit down with the president, us into his point of view, and try to incorporate that into the bill. the president on the other hand would have to listen to what congress is saying. >> the senate is voting on whether to authorize what the president is doing in irawq election --ter the >> the war powers let the president acts, and after a time congress has responsibility to respond. as i see it, there was a vote as to whether the president could

train and equip the free syrian party to fight the islamic state in syria. that boat was overwhelming. three fourths of members supported it, and gave the president authority to work. he believes the original authorization for the invasion of iraq could work to fight the islamic state. i believe it is time for us to revisit the authorization. it is 12 years old, and it's time for us to put in in the context of modern day. it was a broad mandate to protect us from al qaeda. what we face today, it's a qaeda, to connect to al but the threats are just as re al.

the first thing before and relations committee will take up his the reauthorization of the use of military force. i want a vote by congress before we go further. will not be over by the end of the year, so we have to speak to give president or not give the president authority to move forward. >> senator, did you say it's a stretch to connect isis to al qaeda? >> the authorization for military force connects extremism to the al qaeda group, which we know was responsible for 9/11. what i'm saying, there are other threats to america beyond al qaeda, and every president ought to have the authority to protect us from those threat, wherever they come from. what i'm saying is we need an authorization in broader terms. islamic state is just as

dangerous, if not more so than al qaeda in terms of potential, but the language was written to go after those responsible for 9/11. the threat, sadly, is much broader today. one-year -- >> i worked with him. he sent me a copy of the bill. i don't know if a year is right, but it is appropriate for us to revisit this authority. things tend to change, and we ought to be mindful of our responsibility to watch carefully. premise, we the should not send ground. we tried that. that is what al qaeda hope wel will do. revisiting this on a periodic basis is good policy.

>> do you think the senate should vote on the floor before the president undertook this operation, and should he have done it without congressional authorization? bombingsnk the limited o that were done, i believe, is allowable. we know this is a serious threat. i think bringing it to congress to get further authorization makes sense, but i believe he had the authority to do that. >> will the u.s. eventually have to use ground? do you think the white house should be ruling that out? >> i don't think they should relate out. i don't think we should tell our enemies what we will do. let them figure it out. let them worry about it. i don't know if we will have to ops, but seems to

me we should pay attention to what our generals are telling us. some are saying that may be the case. it's possible it could be ground troops from saudi arabia, from other countries. that's possible, but it is lik ely if we will win this there will be granted's involved. >> if this mission is critical, why would you rule out any option? >> my theory is this war started with the deposition of the shah of iran. that was the march of radical islam that manifest itself in countries all over the world with various groups. and we are in for a long haul. when we went to afghanistan, turned out we were going after al qaeda forces responsible for 9/11 -- turned out to be the longest war in the history of the united states. here's what we know.

when we send ground into the middle east, they are usually bogged down. i went to walter reed hospital and saw the first casualty i could remember from the iraq war, from the national guard of ohio. he was well trained and ended up being the visit -- victim of a roadside bombing. if a crude military like that can stop a military power like the united states, we have to think twice. if we will go to the middle east, we will use the iraqi army, 900,000 strong, train them and support them with air, logistics, and intelligence. but the iraqis are willing to fight for iraq. we lost 4476