cincinnati – The third and final debate in the nation's most-watched House race took place Tuesday night in southwestern Ohio, with Democratic U.S. Rep. Greg Landsman and Republican challenger Orlando Sonza weighing in on everything from immigration to the economy. We seriously discussed various issues. In response to newly surfaced ethical complaints.
”As I walk through this district right now, whether it's the economy or whether it's immigration on the southern border, those are the things that are on the minds of voters,” Sonza said while discussing Cincinnati's Xavier He spoke to an audience of mostly students at the university. A landowner in the race for Ohio's 1st Congressional District.
“My father had to wait five years to become a naturalized citizen,” Sonza continued. “So what we're seeing in this country right now is not just facing my father, but millions of Americans who have come here illegally. , How can we stop the more than 15 million illegal immigrants who have actually come to this country?'' Our country has overburdened its economy, overburdened its housing market, and We're bringing fentanyl, which is endemic here in Southwest Ohio, and increasing crime. ”
”Well, you have to close that border immediately, and I know, if I had been in Congress for the last 20 months, I would have voted for the Secure Borders Act, unlike my opponent. That would have immediately secured our southern border, brought resources to our Border Patrol, strengthened our asylum policy, and actually sent resources to our immigration courts. So either way, we can legally bring people here and welcome them, just as my family pursued the American dream. But we have to do it in a way that actually stops the bleeding at our southern border and actually strengthens our policies and procedures. ”
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Democratic U.S. Representative Greg Landsman and Republican challenger Orlando Sonza on Wednesday, October 16, 2024, at the Schiff Family Conference Center at Cintas Center in Cincinnati. (Frank Bowen IV/Enquirer/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
In response to a question about immigration, Mr. Landsman suggested that he and Mr. Sonza “see eye to eye” on many aspects of the issue.
”The fact is we have to have a secure border, but both parties have messed this up for too long,” Landsman said, adding that the situation will change once the bipartisan border bill is finalized in the summer. He echoed the assertions of many Democrats that things would have changed. border.
”“This was a good bill that got 300 votes in the House and probably 80, 90 votes in the Senate,” Landsman said. Everyone but Trump should come to us. Trump didn't want it to get in the way of his re-election campaign. ”
Regarding economic issues, which are cited as a top concern by most Americans in polls, Landsman said that while billionaires are receiving tax breaks, other billionaires are struggling to make ends meet. was considered a problem.
”Even though the economy is improving, more and more Americans are finding it increasingly difficult to pay all their bills, or even if they do pay all their bills, they have nothing left to save or use for a vacation. I think you feel that there is very little left. The question is: Who was the economy built for?'' Landsmann said, criticizing former President Trump's tax policies.
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Rep. Greg Landsman (D-Ohio) in his Longworth Building office on Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc, via Getty Images)
”“You can see in the results that the top group, the ultra-rich 1%, are doing great,” Landsman said. “This is an all-time high for billionaires and large corporations.” That's partly because the tax code is designed for them. 83% of the tax benefits in the 2017 Trump tax plan went to the top 1%. But what if we turned it around? What if I told you that 83 to 90 percent of that money goes to your favorite working and middle class families with more money in their pockets to buy goods and services right here in your local community? So the economy will be much better. And that creates jobs, as opposed to when the 1 percent gets more money.”
“The first thing is to fix the tax code,” Landsman said. “The second thing is that we have to address price gouging.”
Sonza discussed the economy, noting that her family of four is dealing with high prices.
”So what's the first question?'' Sonza said. “It's this hyperinflationary environment that we have. How do you fix prices that keep going up with this inflation? All you have to do is spend, spend, spend in the federal government. You have to stop thinking about it.”
“We can start by cutting down on fraud, waste, abuse, duplication and redundancy in government,” said Sonza, a West Point graduate and former infantry officer. “So if we stop this bloated government spending, we can solve the inflation problem. We'll solve it, but what can we do about it?” So, should prices still remain high? Well, what you can't do is ensure a competitive environment that allows you to lower prices. ”
”So whether it's healthcare, whether it's manufacturing, whether it's energy, we're actually increasing competition. Increasing competition here in the U.S. will actually drive down prices. I think that would solve both problems. ”
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Orlando Sonza is running against a Democrat. Congressman Greg Landsman, OH-01
On abortion, Sonza told the audience he “will not hide” the fact that he is pro-life, but does not support a federal ban on abortion, with exceptions for maternal life, rape and incest. I swore that I believed that. Sonza said abortion is no longer a federal issue and acknowledged that Ohio voters recently chose to enshrine the right to abortion in the state constitution.
Sonza said Landman's opposition to the Born Alive Act, which directs doctors to save the lives of newborns who survive an abortion, means Democrats have adopted an “extreme” position on abortion that most Americans disagree with. He claimed to have shown that he was doing so.
Mr. Landsman expressed support for codification. Roe vs. Wade Incorporated into federal law.
”It is not the role of politicians to dictate what can and cannot be done when it comes to health care, but politicians, whether at the federal or state level, are at the center of these highly complex health care decisions. We are intervening inside,” Landsman said. “Not only are they dangerous, they are killing. There are women who have lost their lives because of these new laws. These bans are bad. They are bad for women. They are bad for doctors. It's bad for our daughters. They're bad for our economy, and this is a big difference.”
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Representative Greg Landsman, a Democrat from Ohio, speaks during a press conference announcing the Railroad Act at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, March 30, 2023, in Washington, DC. (Nathan Howard/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
One of the more contentious exchanges occurred after Mr. Sonza brought up recent events. ethical complaints A former U.S. Department of Commerce inspector general accused Mr. Landsman of violating the law by waiting 20 months, far outside the required 45-day window to disclose stock transactions.
”“My opponent violated federal stock laws by failing to disclose more than 80 stock transactions within the 45-day deadline,” Sonza said. “Rep. Landsman, more than 80 stock transactions. “How long did it take you to disclose?'' 20 months. That's not wrong for me. I believe this is a pattern of fraud and a threat to our democracy, and I believe we have the ability to hold our elected officials accountable. ”
“The question was whether the stock transactions were public,” Landsman said. “They are all disclosed. I have nothing to do with my transactions. So I didn't know. I only discovered it when I was putting together my financial disclosures and then disclosed it. It was late and I didn't know. , that was a mistake.'' And I took responsibility for that and put systems in place to prevent that from happening to probably 60, 70, 80 members last term and dozens of others this term. ”
Mr. Sonza returned to the issue later in the debate.
“Everyone here, and everyone at home, knows that a sitting member of Congress who sits on the Small Business Committee failed to disclose more than 80 stock transactions not 20 months ago, but 20 months ago. As I later learned, some of them were the very companies he denounced as adversaries in 2022, Big Pharma and Big Oil.
“46 days, a mistake, 48 days, a mistake, 20 months of not disclosing it, and the argument we have at this stage is that I don't trade stocks?” Sonza added. Ta. “That's not how my wife and I actually teach our kids how to save money. You're responsible for every dollar that goes into your piggy bank.”
The Cook Political Report ranks the 1st District race as “likely Democratic,” but Republicans dedicated resources They are opposing the race because they are trying to protect their slim majority in the House of Representatives. In 2022, Landsman won by just over five points.
Ohio's 1st Congressional District, which includes the city of Cincinnati and all of Warren County, was previously represented by Republican Steve Chabot for more than a decade until Landsman defeated him in 2022 after redistricting.
