Gainesville’s Doug Collins and Jody Cooley tackled a host of hot-button issues, from federal budget woes to abortion, as they battled Tuesday night over the right to represent the 9th District in the U.S. House of Representatives. Collins, a Republican, and Cooley, a Democrat, who will face each other in the Nov. 6 general election, kept the 90-minute debate at the Gainesville Civic Center lively but mostly civil, fielding questions from three panelists, the audience and, briefly, each other. One of the highlights was a discussion of abortion, spurred by a question by panelist Chandelle Summer about whether the morning-after pill, which can prevent pregnancies if taken within a certain period of time after sex, should be available at no cost to “underprivileged or disadvantaged women.”
9th District House debate hits on abortion, taxes
Lanier Tea Party Patriots sponsored event