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Huizenga and Davidson face off in final debate in front of vocal crowd

Posted at 11:22 PM, Oct 30, 2018
and last updated 2018-10-30 23:22:27-04

GRAND HAVEN, Mich.-- Congressman Bill Huizenga (R) and emergency room doctor Rob Davidson (D) met for a final debate at Lakeshore Middle School in Grand Haven on Tuesday evening in front of over 1,000 people.

The candidates were in the same space where, last March, Davidson decided to make the run for Congress after attending a town hall featuring Huizenga. Davidson was unsatisfied with Huizenga's stances on healthcare and decided to challenge him in the 2018 midterms.

The same issue of healthcare is what sparked some of the hottest moments in Tuesday's debate.

Huizenga claims that the country cannot afford Medicare for All, which Davidson supports. Davidson argues that it would save Americans money.

“Medicare for All fixes Medicare," says Davidson. "It takes a third-grade math level to understand.”

Huizenga spent much of Monday and Tuesday working with local and state officials to address high levels of PFAS found at Robinson Elementary School. Before the debate, Huizenga told FOX 17 about his plan to address the ongoing water contamination issues across the state.

“We have done a few things including some research money that was in the last budget, the last appropriations, specifically on PFAS," says Huizenga. "That was efforts out of a number of us that, really the entire Michigan delegation looking at it, saying, ‘Look, we’ve got to get our arms around this because it looks like Michigan will really be the tip of the iceberg.”

During the debate, Davidson says if elected, he would use a "people first" approach to addressing PFAS contamination.

Both candidates spoke with FOX 17 about President Trump's latest remarks on immigration and wanting to use an executive order to change the 14th Amendment and limit birthright citizenship to children born in the United States whose parents are not American citizens.

“I think it’s pretty clear, at least from what I’ve seen in initial reading, that it would not be able to be done with simply an executive order," says Huizenga.

Huizenga also says that President Trump's promise to build a wall across the southern border with Mexico is "not practical" because there are hundreds of miles that cross the Rio Grande. Though he adds that the United States does need more border integrity.

Davidson says while the Constitution should always be examined, the president using an executive order to change the 14th Amendment is not legal.

"Trying to amend the Constitution with an executive order, have to first say that’s ridiculous and we reject that," says Davidson.

The election is Tuesday, November 6. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.