Lee and McMullin face off in first and only Senate debate

Incumbent Senator Mike Lee and his opponent, Evan McMullin, faced off in their first and only debate of the campaign season on Oct. 17.

Lee, a Republican, and McMullin, an independent, shared similar stances on topics like government spending and student loan forgiveness.

“I think maybe this is something that Senator Lee and I agree on, at least in part,” McMullin said. “I also agree that the Biden administration is guilty of reckless spending.”

Lee said the first and best thing that the federal government could do with regard to student loans is get out of the student loan business.

On one of the more heated topics of the night, the 2020 election, McMullin maintained that Lee played a role in convincing Americans the election was rigged.

“You advised spurious, so-called legal efforts to mislead tens of millions of Americans that the election had been stolen and congratulations, you succeeded,” McMullin said.

Lee continued to deny his involvement.

“There is absolutely nothing to the idea that I would have ever supported, ever, ever did support a fake electoral plot,” he said.

The candidates also debated environmental protection laws, immigration and the future of abortion in America. Both candidates say they are pro-life, though they disagree with each other about how that looks.

“There is a more constructive way forward,” McMullin said. “It’s making contraception more available, doing more to support women, children and families.”

With Election Day only weeks away, these last few days on the campaign trail are critical, and the latest polls show Lee and McMullin are neck and neck. A full recording of the debate is available on Utah Debate Commission’s YouTube, as well as their official website.