Bitter US Senate contest dwells on crime, coronavirus

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Candidates in an open U.S. Senate race outlined clashing visions for the future of health care, policing strategies and civil rights struggles in the first public debate of the campaign, aired live on local network television Monday.

Retiring Democratic Sen. Tom Udall has endorsed as his successor allied six-term U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján, while Republican former television meteorologist Mark Ronchetti is promising to chart a more conservative political course and endorsed federal intervention to bolster law enforcement.

Candidates picked their own locations for the debate, amid the coronavirus outbreak at the White House and a recent positive test among staff at the governor's mansion in Santa Fe. Ronchetti participated from the television studio, Luján chose his campaign office in Albuquerque and Libertarian Bob Walsh spoke from his home in Santa Fe.

Ronchetti described his ambitions as a newcomer to politics, eager to broker compromises in Washington, D.C. He made little or no mention of Republican President Donald Trump, while admonishing Luján for climbing the congressional career ladder without advancing economic and educational opportunities in New Mexico.

“What's happening in Washington isn't working for New Mexico,” said Ronchetti. “And if we keep sending the same people back, they're going to get the same results.”

Luján touted his support in Congress for the Affordable Care Act that has expanded health insurance coverage in New Mexico and his track record in securing federal funding for defense installations and water infrastructure projects on the Navajo Nation.

“I was leading to protect people with preexisting conditions because a cancer diagnosis should not lead to bankruptcy or losing your home,” he said.

Confronted with his past praise of Trump's pandemic...