8th Congressional District candidates debate before election

NEWBURGH, Ind. (WEHT) — Ahead of May 7’s primary election, five of the eight Republican candidates for Indiana’s 8th Congressional District met for a debate at the Ohio Township Trustee Office.

Among the topics discussed were southern border security, Social Security funding and the President Biden Administration.

The candidate forum comes as current Congressman Larry Bucshon is not running for reelection.

Eyewitness News is told all eight candidates were invited, but Kristi Risk, Dominick Kavanaugh, State Senator Mark Messmer, Jim Case and Dr. Richard Moss shared their vision with the voters.

On issues regarding the southern border, Dr. Moss supports the deportation of undocumented immigrants.

“They are coming here for the benefits — for jobs — and then various welfare benefits. They have to be cut off from that. And I would also empower states. Every town in a border town,” Dr. Moss says. “Now they’re coming to Jasper, Indiana. They’re coming to Evansville. They’re not just limited to the southern border.”

Risk adds the Republican delegation in Indiana needs to support the deportation of undocumented immigrants as well.

Some, like Risk, Case and Senator Messmer, support the building of a wall.

Meanwhile, Kavanaugh says it comes down to funding the Department of Homeland Security.

“If we back Republican governors on the southern border, if we properly fund the Department of Homeland Security, Border Control, ICE — we can get a grip on what’s going on,” Kavanaugh says. “When President Trump’s reelected, ICE will be well funded. We’ll begin the deportations of the illegal immigrants causing crime in all of our cities.”

Going to funding Social Security, Case believes it is a system that will soon run out if it is not addressed.

“I think it’s essential that we have to make sure there is no doubt that we fix that,” Case says. “If we can fund it, we’re going to have to fix it by less taxes on somebody, so that we grow the economic engine here in the U.S., which right now it’s being stifled by government regulations.”

Risk also believes in an urgency to address Social Security.

“30 and above — 35 and above — we’re not going to be able to touch it because they won’t have time to recoup,” Risk says. “But below that — these young people — we need to privatize it for them. Let them invest it; let them work the dollar; let then take their money that they’re already putting into it anyways and invest it for future.”

Senator Messmer says there’s a pitfall for the system.

“The problem with Social Security as a whole — it’s a defined benefit plan,” Senator Messmer says. “And what we did to stabilize our state pension and retirement benefits is instead of making a defined benefit, we made a defined contribution. And, structurally, that’s about the only way you can make any pension system or retirement syst em work long term.”

When asked about grading the Biden Administration, Messmer, Risk and Dr. Moss give out an “F.”

Case gives an “F-.”

When Kavanaugh was asked, he says “not complete because Joe Biden hasn’t shown up one day to office.”

Some polling locations are open now on certain days for early voting.

Learn more about voting at the Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library locations.

Learn more about early voting in Warrick County.