by Javier Manjarres

This past weekend’s Republican U.S. Senate forum in Orlando hosted by the Florida Family Policy Council showcased all four of the candidates vying to unseat Democrat Senator Bill Nelson.

The forum primarily focused on issues of of special interest to social conservatives, and all of the candidates expressed agreement on all of the issues including gay marriage and abortion.

All the candidates have stated that they are Pro-Life. Adam Hasner and Craig Miller both believe that there should be exceptions in the cases of rape, incest and in consideration of the life of the mother, wheras George LeMieux stated that we should respect all life from conception through death. Colonel McCalister believes that Roe vs. Wade needs to be repealed, but feels that the abortion issue should be taken up at the state level, not the Federal level.  While Col. McCalister believes that gay marriage should be left up to the states, LeMieux, Hasner, and Miller all staunchly believe that the issue is properly a Federal issue that needs to be dealt with at the federal level.

A big issue at the forum was the topic of Judicial activism. LeMieux voted against the confirmation of U.S. Supreme Court Judge Kagan and state that judges need to interpret the law as written-” they are there to call balls and strikes,” he said.  McCalister agreed and stated that judges “need to follow the Constitution, or they need to be replaced.” Miller agreed with all, but Hasner went a little further and stated that he opposed administrative appointments, i.e. czars,etc, not just judges.

While each of the candidates had their moments during the debate, Hasner and LeMieux seemed to distinguish themselves from both Miller and McCalister. LeMieux came across as the polished statesman on top of his game, while Hasner was very passionate and in command of the subjects that the debate focused on.

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