mr. gillespie. gillespie: i don't believe we should take options off the table and said unto your enemies what you are prepared to do or not to do. as the senator said no one is recommending combat troops are there and say you are not seeking it and not take it off the table is not the same thing as saying we should insert them but you should not take them off the table as an option. >> moderator: aaron hess a question. >> mr. gillespie is a senator warner has voted 97% of the time for president obama's agenda. senator warner you have pointed out mr. gillespie's work heading up the republican national committee working with the george w. bush white house and helping in the mitt romney campaign. mr. gillespie can you name a specific example of you standing up to your party and senator warner the same question to you, specific example of standing up to the parties. gillespie: again when you are not in the white house my party doesn't have one thing to stand up to right now but i will share with you som

mr. gillespie you say senator warner has voted 97% of the time for president obama's agenda. mr. gillespie you helped in the bush white house and -- can you name is specific example of you standing up to your party and senator the same question to you. specific example of standsing up to the party. >> there are differences i have with -- you know, again, when you're not in the white house, you know, my party doesn't have one thing to stand up to right now. but i will share with you some things i think i'm at odds with some members of my party. i believe that in the early '90s when congress passed mandatory minimum sentences in the u.s. congress, that we swung too far. and that i believe that we need to revisit those. and in particular for non violent offenders. and allow more discretion for judges and frankly more for the states to make determinations in terms of what are the proper sentencing guidelines for these things. i think i went overboard in terms of federal sentencing, mandatory minimum sentences. i'm someone who believes in redemption and in reconciliation. i also believ

mr. gillespie would you like to respond? >> there should be congressional authorization for the airstrikes in syria and iraq. i believe that would be the best interest of our country and i i think would send a strong signal. i asked senator if i were senator i would support that. i think it would be a healthy debate to have him up for the senate the senate and i think it's required by the constitution and i believe it would send a much stronger signal to our potential allies and to our enemies that the united states is committed to this effort. one of the concerns i have is i think there may be some fears that the united states is not committed long-term to this effort long-term to the suffered -- to this effort and that causes consternation i believe him on some of our potential allies. i also think we need to be stronger as the military and unfortunately senator warner has voted to cut nearly a trillion dollars over military visit. we are not going to have a navy that is smaller than world war i levels and an army smaller

mr. gillespie. unity specific example of you standing up to your party, and snore warner, the same question to you, specific example of standing up to the parties. gillespie: there are differences i have. when you're not in the white house, my party doesn't have one thing to stand up to right now but i will share with you some things were think i'm probably at odds with some members of my party and that is i believe that in the early 90s when congress passed mandatory minimum sentences in the u.s. congress, that we swung too far. and that i believe we need to revisit those. in particular for nonviolent offenders, and allow more discretion for judges and for the more discretion for the states to make determinations in terms of what are the proper sentencing guidelines. i think we went overboard in terms of federal sentencing, mandatory minimum sentences. i'm someone who believes in retention and in reconciliation. i also believe we need to look at the process of -- prospect of ending the box in terms

mr. gillespie you get 90 seconds on this. gillespie: mike warner talked about his time as governor warner that governor warner wouldn't recognize senator warner today and what he's cast for the job of killing policy after job killing policies and when you look at virginia right now, the unemployment rate has been climbing. actually it's kind seven tenths of a percentage point over the past four months. and as i mentioned since the senator took office for every job we've created here in the commonwealth, two virginians have gone on food stamps. i believe that we need to make it easier for people to get off of food stamps and into good paying full-time jobs. and one of the worst things about the senator's policies i believe when you look at obamacare and the regulations and he's not opposed to epa rule from this administration that would result in a 50% reduction to the coal fire plants being closed which would be even more lost jobs for the coal miners but also it would mean higher prices for our electric bills and price of gas

mr. gillespie served in the george w. bush administration and chaired the republican national committee. the senate races listed as likely democrat. >> welcome to the people's debate. tonight in a race for one of virginia's u.s. senate seat the candidates will answer questions. some ground has been covered in prior debates. we will try to plow new ground. let's introduce you to the candidates. and -- joining us are the former governor democrat mark warner and his challenger tonight, republican and gillespie. tonight's debate is broadcast on television stations throughout virginia and can join a live conversation about the debate on twitter using #people's debate. here's a look at the guidelines. candidates will answer questions from our panel of four enemy. both will have 90 seconds to respond. the first candidate will have an additional 60 seconds to rebut. the candidates will alternate taking the first response to each question and the signal will determine when their time is up. the candidates will have two minutes eac

mr. gillespie will answer first. thank you for being here. last year, the supreme court gutted a key section of the voting rights act that had helped to protect people of color from discriminatory voting loss. legislation is pending in congress to updating -- to update the voting rights act. the bill will be reintroduced in the next congress. if elected, will you cosponsor the legislation? >> i would look at the legislation. i believe the provision is preclearance. the fact is the voting rights act is critically important, must be enforced. this is one of the most sacred rights we have. we saw just recently in virginia that the civil rights and voting rights acts is being enforced and we have had our district lines overturned by the court. it is one example why the federal courts are so important. example why so many virginians are concerned about the recent reports that senator warner made a phone call talking about the potential of recommending the daughter of a state senator for the federal bench, a lifetime appointment to the federal benc

mr. gillespie? >> the time to consider stopping flights coming in from west africa, whether there's an ebola outbreak, has passed. it's time to impose a flight ban in that regard, and that's what this administration should do. and while that flight ban is in place, yes, we need to have proper protocols. we just heard the story coming out of dallas of the nurse who has been affected. we need to make sure that our health professionals are properly trained in terms of how to approach this. we need to get more of the drugs into production and stockpiled. the screening process, i have to say, i find not that reassuring from what i have seen. and the president, when he said not too long ago, that the chances of ebola coming to america, you know, there's not much of a chance of that, he was wrong. this administration has been slow to act. and the senator voted for the sequestration he just decried here today. in fact, that sequestration cut the centers for disease control by $345 million. it's been cut by

mr. gillespie has a one exposing statement. gillespie: thanks to the panel and everyone who is here today it is a pleasure to talk about my a ideas and common-sense solutions that i think get bipartisan support of the floor of the senate and help to create jobs to lift people out of poverty that is why i was so proud today to get the doors and of the national federation of champion small businesses fail understand my agenda is the one that will create more opportunities. i get a lot of support from those who supported senator warner in 2008 because they see he is not the senator he said he would be and they support me and they realize i will fight for the pay to lift people out of poverty most no longer believe we're the generation that came before us but with the right policies that is why i asked virginians to vote for may and november 4th. warner: then we heard a lot of negative attacks in their more formal legislators but the difference is i am a real optimist about america. i have been blessed to live the american dream i f

ed gillespie and mark warner went head to head in a debate. >> we have been calling for stronger actions against mrtin in russia since march. >> the air strikes in syria and iraq. i believe that would be in the best interest of our country and send a strong signal. if i were senator i would support that. it would be a healthy debate to have on the floor of the senate. >> the two square off in less than a week. watch more highlights on nbcwashington.com. search "debate." we're also asking you who won this debate. you can chime in on nbc washington facebook page. >>> adrian peterson heads to court to face child abuse charges. he was indicted for using a small tree branch to discipline his 4-year-old son earlier this year. the child suffered bruises. he said he never meant to hurt the child. he is on leave until his problems are resolved. >>> most nfl fans think commissioner roger goodell should keep his job. he has taken heat for his handling of recent domestic violence cases of league players. a poll found 66% say he should not lose his job. 32% say he should lose his job. there is a difference of o

gillespie is gaining on warner. >> kansas where republicans are now scrambling to see if they can save pat roberts, and the state of south dakota where, again, republicans are nervous about their candidate, mr, and whether or not he's going to be able to break 30%. look, i still think it's a 50/50 chance that the democrats will retain the senate and the reason why is because -- louisiana, yes, mary is still having a tough time with two republican candidates and we know we might send some time in louisiana during thanksgiving. north carolina, senator hagan is doing quite well because she's running against someone who cut education, overall it's a still 50/50 chance they'll retain control but not going to be easy. >> let's talk about kansas and south dakota, those races because something no one really expected and that's independents. >> well, i think what we're seeing now, everybody talks about these elections, they're base elections, we need to turn out the base and 46 we'll win. i think what we're finding more and more is a huge rise in independents going on for years, if you look at like the state of california, it's now at the verge of leading the number of voters there. and you look at