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Politics

Boxer, Fiorina Face Off In US Senate Debate

U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer (L) (D-CA) and republican candidate for U.S. Senate Carly Fiorina participate in a debate on the campus of Saint Mary's College September 1, 2010 in Moraga, California.
Justin Sullivan
U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer (L) (D-CA) and republican candidate for U.S. Senate Carly Fiorina participate in a debate on the campus of Saint Mary's College September 1, 2010 in Moraga, California.

The only scheduled debate in California’s U.S. Senate race saw Democrat Barbara Boxer and Republican Carly Fiorina spend as much time attacking each other as talking about their own accomplishments.

From their opening statements to their final words, the three-term senator and former Hewlett-Packard CEO went on offense. Fiorina said Boxer hasn’t helped California’s economy bounce back from the recession.

“Barbara Boxer is promising numbers and jobs now. When she voted for that stimulus bill that has manifestly failed, she said that it would bring help and hope and 400,000 jobs to this state. And we now have 2.3 million people out of work," said Fiorina.

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And Boxer told voters they get to decide if they want her back. "Or if they want to elect someone who made her name as a CEO in Hewlett-Packard laying thousands and thousands of workers off, shipping their jobs overseas, making no sacrifice while she was doing it, taking $100 million," said boxer.

Each candidate claimed to have better ideas for creating jobs: Boxer pointed to Democratic bills in Congress to keep teachers employed and help small businesses. Fiorina called for tax cuts and less government regulation. The race is expected to be tight. Polls suggest Boxer currently has a narrow lead.