Tuesday night's debate among four candidates seeking to replace a longtime Republican congresswoman in next week's special election was an opportunity for them to weigh in on a plethora of issues. But for the two major party contenders it did something more -- it gave them a chance to bring up several points of contention their campaigns have pushed for weeks.

Democrat Steve Hodges, a state representative from East Prairie, Mo., seeking the 8th Congressional District seat, went on the offensive against his Republican opponent, Jason Smith, early in the event with an answer to a question about the future of Social Security.

Hodges last week released a video advertisement touting his support for keeping Social Security and Medicare benefits available under a federal budget plan.

During the 90-minute forum at Southeast Missouri State University's River Campus, Hodges said Smith, if elected, would vote for a federal budget that would reduce Social Security.

"Both my parents are on Social Security," Smith responded to Hodges' accusation, adding he would be excluded from his family's Thanksgiving dinner for such a vote.

Smith, of Salem, Mo., has been in the Missouri House of Representatives since 2005, and is speaker pro tem, the chamber's second-highest leadership position.

Both candidates, along with Doug Enyart, a Constitution Party candidate, and Bill Slantz, a Libertarian, are vying for the seat held for more than 16 years by Jo Ann Emerson, who resigned in January to head the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. All were nominated in February by their respective parties' congressional committees and are running on conservative platforms.

"You're really going to have to do some work this time," Enyart said during the event, referring to the research voters will need to distinguish among candidates on most issues.

As in previous forums, the four gave similar answers about their positions -- they generally oppose gun control, abortion, government regulations and most aspects of Obamacare and say they want to make the best choices possible to benefit the agriculture industry and small businesses that represent a large chunk of the district's economy. All also criticized the levels of federal spending and the deficit and called for a balanced budget.

Hodges differs from Smith on one standout issue: the Affordable Care Act. Smith on Tuesday night called for its entire repeal, while Hodges said he supports only mandates that require coverage for existing medical conditions and coverage for college students.

"At this point, I could not support the Affordable Health Care Act as it is," Hodges said.

The candidates also split slightly on education. Smith said he believes the federal government should have no role in local schools' decisions while Hodges said he has been in contact with area administrators and believes Common Core Standards should be implemented but that schools should be able to maintain flexibility.

But Smith and Hodges' voting records, comparable in scope since they have served in the House nearly the same amount of time, provided the most fodder for argument.

Smith and his campaign hold that Hodges collected per diem on five legislative days during the last session -- days on which they say he collected pay as a representative but did not vote. Hodges' campaign manager, Jake Breymaier, questions that number. At least one of those days, he said, was Inauguration Day, a day on which no votes were held.

Smith also pointed out that Hodges had not passed any legislation since he was elected in 2006 -- though Hodges on Tuesday painted a different picture with that information. Hodges said he has passed legislation by getting an amendment added to a Republican's bill, which he said shows his ability to work with a party outside of his own. An item that Hodges was able to get through in 2010 as an amendment on a bill signed into law -- House Bill 1692, sponsored by Smith -- allows prosecuting attorneys and their designated staff to carry concealed weapons in court. Another bill co-sponsored by Hodges also has been signed into law.

For his part, 11 bills sponsored by Smith since he joined the House were passed by the General Assembly, and 10 were later signed into law by the governor. The bills have created laws to require regulatory reform in state agencies, repeal obsolete or sunsetting law provisions and changed laws on farm vehicles, health-care employee licensing, liability for real estate agents, pharmacy permits and licenses for assisted living facilities.

Hodges also went after Smith for days he was absent in the most recent legislative session -- Smith missed 23 after he received his nomination to run for Congress, and the two battled over votes on abortion-related issues.

Smith pointed out he received the endorsement of Missouri Right to Life for his current bid and attacked Hodges for not voting in favor of a veto override in 2012 on legislation that would have allowed employers to decline to provide insurance coverage for abortions, contraception or sterilization. Hodges on Tuesday reiterated that he resisted voting for the override because it would have adversely affected women in his district, which covers the poorest counties in the state.

Hodges also accused Smith of voting in support of human cloning research using stem cells.

In a statement released after the forum, Smith's campaign manager, Josh Haynes, said Smith has not voted for embryonic stem-cell research.

"He wouldn't be the sole recipient of the Missouri Right to Life endorsement if he had," Haynes said in the statement.

Haynes said Hodges was trying to distract from the fact he switched his vote and supported the Obamacare mandate requiring employers to provide abortions to their employees."

Six days remain until the June 4 special election in the 8th District, which covers 30 counties in Southeast and Southern Missouri.

eragan@semissourian.com

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