Candidates square off for Souder's seat

Fort Wayne, Ind. - IPFW's Rhinehart Recital Hall was nearly full as hundreds of people came to hear the congressional candidates square off. Democrat Tom Hayhurst, Republican Marlin Stutzman, and Libertarian Scott Wise all took to the podiums to defend their views and ask for votes.

But this debate was a little different. Each candidate answered the same questions from the moderator, but then was given the chance to turn the tables on their opponents. The candidate got to ask one other candidate a follow-up question. Many voters told NewsChannel 15, it was exactly what they needed to see to help them make up their minds.

Charles Odier was among the crowd who liked the change in the rules. “I just wanted to see what they really stood for, each of the candidates,” he said.

Odier said he expected to see Hayhurst and Stutzman targeted each other from the beginning, but was surprised by the strength of the arguments.

“I think Dr. Hayhurst came out a little stronger, a little more forceful, than he ever had in the past and I really liked that,” he said,

Judy Ross felt differently. “I was disappointed in some of the answers that I had heard from Dr. Hayhurst,” she said.

Seemingly caught in the middle was Wise, but not for long. By the second or thirds question he was drawing laughter and applause.

Steve Carey said he came for answers and left impressed. “I got a few good answers I was looking for and mostly from the Libertarian,” he said.

Ross said she had never hear Wise speak before and was pleasantly surprised.

“I would love to see more of someone, like Scott Wise, continue on as a potential politician and to continue to see if he can't make an impact in our government and our country,” she said. “He represented himself well.” But the Stutzman supporter said he wasn’t good enough to swing her vote.

“I feel at this point that Marlin Stutzman is the one that best represents what I believe in,” said Ross.

All three candidates faced tough questions about jobs, the stimulus plan, social security, and education.

To see more of the debate and to learn more about the candidates check out the political page on wane.com.