WATCH: Indiana U.S. Senate Hopefuls Wrangle Over Immigration, Healthcare In Last Debate

Wednesday, October 31, 2018 at 9:42 AM

By Mike Perleberg @mikedup84

Joe Donnelly, Mike Braun, and Lucy Brenton were on the same stage for perhaps the last time before Election Day.

(Indianapolis, Ind.) - With less than a week before the election, Indiana’s U.S. Senate candidates met for their final debate Tuesday night.

Democratic incumbent Joe Donnelly and Republican Mike Braun were asked if they’d support President Donald Trump’s proposed executive order to deny birthright citizenship for children of illegal immigrants.

“That’s the 14th Amendment of our Constitution. And so, how this should be handled is by the Congress,” Donnelly said.

Donnelly, whose campaign has taken a decided turn to the middle-right since he voted against the confirmation of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, said he has voted in favor of border security, border troops, and against sanctuary cities.

Being pressed by debate moderator Amna Nawaz of PBS NewsHour, Braun said he would wait to see the legislation before deciding how he would vote on birthright citizenship.

“It’s the accumulation of many years of neglecting border security. Thank goodness we are finally attending to it,” said Braun.

The two and Libertarian candidate Lucy Brenton also debated abortion and healthcare in Indianapolis.

“The senator tries to have it both ways. When it comes to the sanctity of life, you cannot say you are pro-life and have your voting record,” said Braun.

Democratic Senator Joe Donnelly, left, shares hands with Republican former state rep. Mike Braun following a U.S. Senate Debate, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2018 in Indianapolis. AP Photo by Darron Cummings, Pool.

Donnelly accused Braun of supporting a lawsuit that would remove Affordable Care Act provisions ensuring coverage of pre-existing conditions. Braun said the ACA is “doomed to fail” and he would never vote for a replacement that doesn’t cover pre-existing conditions.

Brenton, who said her top priority if elected would be to reduce the size of the federal government, concluded the debate referring to a Donnelly campaign ad showing him chopping wood with an axe.

"The forest dwindled and yet the trees voted for the axe because its handle is made of wood and they thought it was one of them," she said to a room of chuckles.

The race between Donnelly and Braun is a dead heat, according to recent polling. Donnelly is one of 10 Democratic senators up for re-election in states which President Trump won in the 2016 election.