U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole ended playing offense.
Though both Dole and her Democratic opponent, Kay Hagan, criticized each other throughout the 45-minute debate in Atlantic Beach today, neither went on as sustained an attack as Dole did in her closing remarks.
After noting Hagan's criticisms, Dole defended her years of experience in Washington, citing bipartisan legislation that she has worked on and her visits to all 100 of North Carolina's counties. Then she turned to Hagan's record.
"I want to say that my opponent has a long history of increasing North Carolina taxes across the board — whether it's sales tax, income tax, food tax, liquor tax, tobacco tax, tax on the wealthy, tax on the middle income, tax on the low income," she said. "I believe taxes are too high."
She then argued that Hagan has "turned a blind eye" to immigration enforcement and voted to make it easier for illegal immigrants to get a driver's license. (More on that later.)
"My opponent claims she has a quote energy plan unquote but the only octane is in the rhetoric," she said. "It offers nothing that would lower the price of a gallon of gasoline."
As a result of a coin toss, Dole went last, so Hagan had no chance to rebut the claims during the debate.
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Dole only made immigration an issue as 2008 election got close
She didn't mention immigration until June of 2007 when President Bush attempted to pass his failed immigration policy.
Immigration only concerns Senator Dole because it's an easy ticket to re-election if she pushes the right buttons with the Republican Base.