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Even on this issue, they have different reasons for opposing the legislation Walz voted against in September.
Walz said the bill didn’t do enough to ensure bailout funds don’t buy assets held by foreign institutions, help those facing foreclosure or limit compensation for executives at failing banks. Davis said he was skeptical of any bill that authorized the government to buy assets from the financial industry and blamed the crisis on the lending and regulatory practices of the Clinton administration.
“It’s not impossible that this situation could correct itself if these underlying problems ... were corrected,” Davis said.
The candidates also have sparred on energy, particularly offshore drilling. Walz supported legislation to lift bans on drilling in areas 25 or more miles offshore. Davis said the plan didn’t go far enough to open more drilling and called Walz “an obstructionist” slow to act on the issue. In response, Walz criticized Davis’ position, saying, “There’s a short-term sloganeering going on without a lot of thought.”
Agriculture is also a topic of dispute between the candidates. Walz voted in favor of the 2008 Farm Bill. Davis criticized some of its measures, including $300 billion provisions for food stamps and nutrition programs. He supports the farm-subsidy portions, which amount to about 14 percent of the bill’s costs.
Subsidies are important to many rural voters in the 1st District. Farmers there received $3.6 billion in U.S. Department of Agriculture subsidies between 1995 and 2006, according to a report by the Environmental Working Group. The same report ranks the 1st District 11th out of 409 congressional districts nationwide in the amount of USDA subsidies received in that span.
The Davis file
Home: Rochester, Minn.
Age: 50
Professional experience: Radiation oncologist
Government experience: Served on scientific review panels for the National Institute of Health
The Walz file
Age: 44
Home: Mankato, Minn.
Professional experience: Teacher
Government experience: Won congressional seat in 2006
