Mark Critz and Tim Burns Debate in PA 12

On earmarks, Burns said that he would "fight to create jobs in this district," but the process had to be "more open, transparent, and one that the American people can support."

"It’s pretty hard to say that bulletproof vests for the troops is wasteful spending," he said.

Burns seemed to be on firmer ground when attacking cap-and-trade and amnesty, and defending the right to a secret ballot in union elections. Critz said he would co-sponsor the Employee Free Choice Act, but opposed cap-and-trade and amnesty. Burns tried to cast doubt on Critz's claims of independence, saying that Nancy Pelosi "isn’t working so hard to get Mark Critz elected because he’s a nice person, which he is."

According to Burns, the race is about more than any single issue. It's not just a referendum on Obamacare, he told me after the debate, "it's a referendum on the Obama-Pelosi agenda."