During the debates, James often tried to paint himself as somebody willing to work across the aisle to support policies that help Michigan, while describing Stabenow as “hyperpartisan.”

“We don’t need more lip service, we don’t need more talking, we need more action,” James said. “I’m going to get to Washington and I’m going to work with anyone from Donald Trump to Bernie Sanders to get things done and bring resources back to the state of Michigan.”

Stabenow pushed back on the notion that she was unwilling to work across the aisle, noting legislation she sponsored recently passed the Senate with unanimous support and was signed into law by the president. 

“I could point fingers, it doesn’t do anything,” Stabenow said. “I just want to put my head down and continue working with people to actually get things done.”

Ultimately, James said it is important to not only elect people willing to work across the aisle but also to make sure Michigan constituents have a voice in both parties.

“We need balance. We need to make sure we have a seat at both tables and make sure Michigan has a voice in both parties regardless of who is the majority or who’s in the White House,” James said. “I will work with the president when it benefits Michigan, and I will stand up to the president when it benefits Michigan.”

One claims ineffectiveness, the other claims inexperience

Having served two terms in the U.S. Senate, James said Stabenow has taken too long to address issues like infrastructure and healthcare. 

“A lot of the things that are crumbling, it should be no surprise. My opponent has been a career politician for 43 years in a position to do something to fix these things,” James said. “The Soo Locks are 100 years old. Why are we just now doing something about it? Line 5 is 65 years old. Why are we just now getting around to doing something about it? The pipes and the sewers and the roads are decades old. Why are we just now making this an issue?”

Stabenow said that almost 200 pieces of legislation she authored have passed the Senate. Some bills just take a little longer than others, she said.

“Sometimes things move quickly, like my pharmaceutical bill that took six months, and sometimes they take years,” Stabenow said. “The difference is, I don’t give up.”

“These are tough times. ... The reality is, this is not the moment for inexperience,” Stabenow said. “This is the moment for folks that have relationships, that have experience and seniority and a proven track record against all the odds that they can get something done.”

Mostly in agreement over immigration

Both candidates argued opportunities for legal immigration should be expanded and border security bolstered during the debate.

“Immigration is an economic and moral imperative for the United States of America,” James said. “We must make sure that we have robust, safe immigration because in order to make sure we grow, we need to make sure we include everyone. To address the increasing job skills gap, to increase the ability for our farmers to get labor that they need, we must not use our immigration system as a political chess piece.”

“It’s important that we have a system that allows young people who have come here with their parents who know no other home, who have grown up here, who were promised if they stayed and served in the military or went to college, they could stay and earn citizenship,” Stabenow said. “I don’t think they should be a political football, either. We should keep our promise to them.”

When district lines are next drawn, they will be done using data from the 2020 census, which both candidates said should be thorough. They hope to see Michigan gain seats in the House of Representatives as a result. 

Neither candidate directly addressed President Trump’s proposed border wall — though Stabenow did indirectly poke fun at the idea, saying that “we in Michigan are building a bridge, and Canada’s paying for it.”

Divided over Kavanaugh nomination

Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court was thrown into doubt when multiple women came forward to accuse him of sexual misconduct, but that isn’t the only reason Stabenow voted against him. 

“Everything I do, I see through the lens of Michigan,” Stabenow said. “(Kavanaugh)’s made decisions against the Clean Water Act that are not in our interest in Michigan. He’s made decisions on healthcare that would continue to unravel the healthcare system; not in our best interests in Michigan. He’s the only one on the list that the president had that has strong, out-of-the-mainstream positions regarding presidential power. He has written that a president could override the Supreme Court, essentially, if the court ruled something unconstitutional.”

While James admitted he was not privy to the same amount of information as an incumbent senator, he said he would have voted yes on Kavanaugh’s nomination based off what he knew. 

“I believe we need to have rule of law justices on the Supreme Court, people who have a record of fair and balanced impartiality,” James said. “Based upon Judge Kavanaugh’s record, he has the capability to be impartial.”

James said it is important we “don’t have activists on the bench who can change the courts based upon the whims of the people.”

No pay for legislators during government shutdowns 

While discussing the potential to balance the budget, James said that legislators should have their pay frozen when the government shuts down to incentivize them to balance the budget. 

“How do you have government shutdowns? How do you run out of money?” James asked. “You print the money. How do you run out?”

James also accused Stabenow of wanting to add $32 trillion in debt “from a full government takeover of our healthcare” and said that legislators should be forced to vote on single issue bills. 

Stabenow fought back on both accounts, noting that she does not support Medicare for all and that Medicare, Social Security and veterans’ benefits are considered mandatory spending and should not be subject to "the politics of the yearly budget.” 

Stabenow supports recreational marijuana; James’ focus on prison reform 

Michigan voters will decide the fate of a ballot proposal to legalize the use of recreational marijuana. Stabenow came out in support of the proposal and said it is on Congress to address uniformity issues, as other states pass similar legislation. 

James said that he will not vote on this particular ballot proposal but “will absolutely support the will of my state.”

“The war on drugs has disproportionately, negatively affected the African-American community. I would not feel right legalizing something that so many Michiganders are currently in jail for – nonviolent drug offenses,” James said. “If we’re going to have this ballot amendment go forward, we need to make sure that we are engaging in criminal justice reform so we are bringing justice to people who have been disproportionately, negatively affected by sometimes draconian law enforcement.”

Honorable mention: Predictions for MSU vs U-M

Asked about the upcoming MSU-Michigan football game, Stabenow announced she is rooting for MSU, while James will be cheering on the Wolverines.

U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Michigan, and Republican challenger and military veteran John James discussed a wide range of issues during two back-to-back debates. These are the key takeaways. 

Watch the full debates: