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By Mark Zdechlik, Minnesota Public Radio News

Democratic incumbent Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Republican challenger Royce White faced off in their only U.S. Senate debate Sunday morning hosted by WCCO Radio.

Klobuchar, who was first elected in 2006, is seeking a fourth term in the Senate. In making a case for another six-year term, Klobuchar repeatedly pointed to bipartisan legislation she supported.

“When the pharmaceutical companies got this sweetheart deal with Medicare, I came in and introduced a bill that is now the law of the land that says, ‘No, you’ve got to negotiate prices,’ and we’re starting to see the $35 cap on insulin,” Klobuchar said. “When our veterans came to me and said, ‘Hey, people are dying because they were stationed next to burn pits.’ I did something about it.”

Royce White, a former professional basketball player who now hosts a podcast, said the status quo in Washington needs to be shaken up.

“Our country is coming undone at the seams, and I think we can change that, but it’s going to require some truth,” White said. “If there’s one thing I’m proud of, despite the mainstream media’s attempts to silence, suppress, smear my campaign, the feedback that we have gotten from those who support and follow me and or the campaign or the movement nationally, they say that they appreciate that I speak the truth.”

In addition to accusing the media of trying to silence him, White complained the Republican Party of Minnesota has distanced itself from him. White has a complicated background, which includes failure to pay child support, pleading guilty to disorderly conduct and questionable campaign expenditures in a previous run for Congress.

Klobuchar easily won her previous two reelection campaigns and, through the middle of October, had a war chest of more than $4.2 million, more than 50 times as much campaign money as White. In a September poll, she led White by a large margin.

To strengthen the economy, Klobuchar said the U.S. needs to invest more in worker training, housing, childcare and technology including high-speed internet. White said the U.S. needs to stop nation-building and get out of what he calls “forever wars.”

“I want America to have a strong military,” he said. “The question is, where that military is getting involved, and for what reasons?”

Klobuchar argued that the U.S. involves itself in international conflicts out of necessity. “When you look at a situation like Ukraine, where Vladimir Putin has invaded a sovereign nation and has paired up now with countries like North Korea and China and Iran, these are not our friends,” she said.

Klobuchar said election integrity must be upheld. White said it “appeared” former President Donald Trump lost Minnesota in 2020 but that he did not “know” that to be the case. Joe Biden defeated Trump by seven percentage points in Minnesota four years ago.

White said he supports Trump: “I’m no partisan hack here. I’m no Donald Trump sycophant [but] I’m supporting him 1,000 percent.”

In wrapping up, Klobuchar underscored the importance of bipartisanship and accused White of having a stand-alone approach to politics.

“He says vulgar things nearly every single day, on his Twitter feed, in his podcast, every single day, insulting people,” she said. “That’s his job. I think a senator is a different kind of job. I think you actually have to listen to people and get things done.”

White stood firm on his contention that it’s time to stand up against spending that doesn’t benefit the nation.

“Ultimately, this is an old guard versus a new generation of American politics,” he said. “Are we going to vote for leaders who will stand up in D.C. and ask the questions that need to be asked, but more importantly, stand alone when necessary to impede the progress of legislation that doesn’t help the American people?”