Plain Talk: In first debate, North Dakota Senate candidates spar on farm policy, energy, abortion, Ukraine

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MINOT, N.D. — North Dakota has three candidates running for the United States Senate.

Incumbent Sen. John Hoeven, who was first elected to that office in 2010, is facing a challenge from Democratic-NPL candidate Katrina Christiansen and independent candidate Rick Becker.

On this episode of Plain Talk, all three candidates met for the first time to debate issues ranging from spending and abortion to carbon capture and support for Ukraine.

My Wednesday co-host, former Democratic-NPL executive director Chad Oban, moderated the debate along with me.

The candidates differed sharply on the issues.

Christiansen accused Becker and Hoeven of belittling the importance of the abortion issue for women.

Becker accused both Hoeven and Christiansen of being supporters of big government and big spending. Hoeven, for his part, defended his track record in the Senate and argued that both Becker and Christiansen have distorted it.

Click above to listen to the full debate, or subscribe to Plain Talk on your favorite podcast platform to listen on another device.