The 10th Republican presidential debate took place Sunday night, with candidates discussing a wide variety of issues including same-sex marriage, abortion rights and the United States’ international presence.
Candidates Tom Tancredo, Rep. Ron Paul, Gov. Mike Huckabee, Rudy Giuliani, Gov. Mitt Romney, Sen. Fred Thompson, Sen. John McCain and Rep. Duncan Hunter participated in the debate. Alan Keyes was absent, as was Sen. Sam Brownback, who dropped out of the presidential race Friday.
During the debate, candidates responded to questions about health care, education, social security and medicare, and foreign policy regarding Russia and Turkey.
For the most part, candidates seemed to agree on issues regarding privatizing health care and increasing personal choice in the education system. Candidates also spoke out against Turkey invading Iraq in light of recent attacks on Turkish soldiers.
But candidates seemed to disagree on questions of whether there should be a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, individual positions on abortion rights, or whether individual candidate’s voting records have been in line with traditionally conservative Republican party platforms.
Candidates were asked about their position on same-sex marriage and gave varied responses regarding the role of the federal government in legislating on marriage.
Paul said he did not support a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage because he said he felt marriage was a religious matter and not one with which the government should interfere.
“The federal government should be out of it,” he said.
But Romney, who is governor of Massachusetts, one of the few states in which same-sex marriage is legal, said he supports a ban.
Romney said he believes same-sex marriage is detrimental to children and allowing same-sex marriage to be legal in some states will mean that it can spread to other states. Romney said he supports the government’s right to define marriage.
“Every state has the right to define it as between a man and a woman,” he said.
But while candidates disagreed on some social issues, many found common ground when it came to economic issues such as privatizing health care and giving parents more options for educating their children.
Several candidates spoke out against government-sponsored universal health care and favored applying marketplace principals to health care concerns.
Paul said he believes Republicans focus on personalizing health care for many Americans and would allow citizens to make their own decisions about the kind of health coverage that suits them best.
Candidates also spoke out against intrusive governmental education policies, such as the No Child Left Behind Act, and spoke in favor of increasing the level of diverse educational choices, such charter schools, home schooling and parochial schools, often through measures like school vouchers.
Jennifer Propper, vice chairwoman of Bruin Republicans, said she believes candidates are sticking together on economic issues but have differing stances on social issues as a strategy to appeal to voters with a wide range of social views.
“Social issues are so tied to issues of morality and people’s personal and cultural beliefs. People are coming from differing moral perspectives,” she said.