角逐接替明尼苏达州即将离任的州长蒂姆·沃尔兹的共和党与民主党候选人，周三在他们的最后一场辩论中，围绕该州曝出的巨额欺诈丑闻、医疗保健以及不断上涨的天然气价格展开了激烈交锋。
The Republican and Democratic candidates vying to replace Minnesota' s outgoing governor Tim Walz sparred in their final debate Wednesday over the massive fraud scandal that has unfolded in the state, health care and rising gas prices.
“投给艾米·克洛布查尔一票，就是投给蒂姆·沃尔兹的第三个任期，”共和党众议院议长丽莎·德穆思在开场白中说道。此前，她将民主党参议员艾米·克洛布查尔刻画为一个处于“危机中的州”里的“现状”候选人，该州正因90亿美元的欺诈丑闻而陷入危机。
"A vote for Amy Klobuchar is a vote for a Tim Walz third term," Republican House Speaker Lisa Demuth said in her opening statement after painting Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar as the "status quo" candidate in a "state in crisis" over the $ 9 billion fraud scandal.
克洛布查尔在开场白中进行了反击，她表示：“我不喜欢现状。我讨厌现状。”辩论的第一个问题聚焦于欺诈这一贯穿当晚的反复出现的话题，以及每位候选人将采取何种措施来打击欺诈。
Klobuchar pushed back in her opening statement, saying, "I don't like the status quo. I hate the status quo." The first question of the debate focused on fraud, a recurring topic throughout the night, and what each candidate would do to combat it.
“明尼苏达州肆无忌惮的欺诈行为已经持续了太久，现在终于浮出水面了，”德穆思说。“我在上任第一天要做的事情，就是解雇所有的委员，挑选在其领域具备专业知识的新委员，来落实我们州所需的问责制和透明度。我们必须改变欺诈的文化。”克洛布查尔在谈及这一问题时，试图与沃尔兹保持距离。
"Fraud unchecked here in the state of Minnesota has gone far too long, and it has finally come to the surface," Demuth said. "The thing that I will do on day one is I am going to be firing all commissioners, choosing new commissioners that are expert in their field, that will carry out the accountability and transparency that is needed in our state. We have to change the culture of fraud." Klobuchar attempted to distance herself from Walz when addressing the issue.
“这种欺诈行为简直令人无法接受，作为前检察官，我会把这些欺诈分子送进监狱，”克洛布查尔说。“蒂姆·沃尔兹本该更早发现欺诈行为，他本该做更多事情。他自己也这么说过。顺便说一句，当我的对手提及蒂姆·沃尔兹时，我要说一件事。他并没有寻求第三个任期。站在这里的是我。”欺诈问题在辩论后期再次被提及，德穆思批评了克洛布查尔与沃尔兹的紧密关系。
"The fraud is simply unacceptable and as a former prosecutor, I'm going to send those fraudsters to jail," Klobuchar said. "Tim Walz should have caught the fraud earlier and he should have done more. He said it himself. And by the way, when my opponent references Tim Walz, I will say one thing. He is not seeking a third term. I am the one up here." Fraud came up again later in the debate, with Demuth criticizing Klobuchar's close relationship with Walz.
“你没有听到我的对手在任何一项政策法案上与蒂姆·沃尔兹产生过分歧，而她却称蒂姆·沃尔兹是一位了不起的州长，”德穆思说。“我很想听听某一项法案、某一领域，比如儿童保育、欺诈性资金。我很想听到这些。如果她真要刻意与蒂姆·沃尔兹划清界限，那么蒂姆·沃尔兹曾任由明尼苏达州的儿童保育欺诈及其他欺诈行为激增至90亿美元，却从未解雇过他的任何委员或机构雇员。然而今晚站在这里的某个人，却在支持这位她口中‘了不起的州长’所做的一切。”
"You have not heard my opponent differ from one policy bill that Tim Walz, who she calls an incredible governor, has allowed to go forward," Demuth said. "I would love to hear one bill, one area, child care, fraudulent funding. I would love to hear that. If she is separating herself specifically from Tim Walz, Tim Walz allowed the child care fraud and other fraud here in the state of Minnesota to explode to $9 billion, never firing any of his commissioners or agency employees. But yet you have someone standing here tonight that is supporting everything from the incredible governor, as she has said he is."
克洛布查尔回应道：“请倒带这场辩论的录像，你会清楚地看到我是如何表明自己与蒂姆·沃尔兹存在分歧的。”在另一个紧张的时刻，候选人们转向了不断上涨的天然气价格，克洛布查尔试图将德穆思与特朗普政府的政策联系起来。
Klobuchar responded, "Rewind the tape on this debate please; you will see exactly how I said I differed from Tim Walz." In another tense moment, the candidates turned to rising gas prices, with Klobuchar attempting to link Demuth to the policies of the Trump administration.
“我可以告诉你降低天然气价格最快的方法，那就是停止这场伊朗战争，”克洛布查尔说。“就是这样，从头到尾。再看看我的对手提出的那些，我们在本周早些时候的一场辩论中，她竟然提出并将原因归咎于基石输油管道。然后她又把医疗保健成本归咎于巴拉克·奥巴马。我不知道接下来会是谁。也许是托马斯·杰斐逊，但我知道的是，明尼苏达州人很清楚加油站发生的事情。”德穆思则将明尼苏达州的高成本归咎于明尼苏达民主党-农民-劳工党对州政府的掌控。
"I can tell you the fastest way to bring down your gas prices, and that is to stop this War in Iran," Klobuchar said. "That is it, beginning, middle and end. And when you look at what my opponent brings up, when we had a debate earlier this week, she actually brought up and blamed it on the Keystone pipeline. Then she blamed the health care costs on Barack Obama. I don't know what will be next. Maybe Thomas Jefferson, but what I know is that Minnesotans understand what's happened at the pump." Demuth blamed high costs in Minnesota on the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party's (DFL) control of state government.
“我们可以谈谈我的对手投票反对的那条基石输油管道。那本可以引入83万桶石油。它本可以帮助增加我们这里的供应，然而她却投了反对票，”德穆思说。“但你不得不问自己，为什么明尼苏达州的东西这么贵？贵是因为2023年和2024年单一政党控制下的过度支出的结果。我会把价格降下来。我会调整我们的州预算规模，确保你们能够负担得起生活，能够成长、繁荣，并且企业会来到明尼苏达州提供所需的就业岗位。这是常识，也是你们在展望今年的这场选举时必须做出的决定。”
"We can talk about that Keystone pipeline that my opponent has voted against. That would have brought in 830,000 barrels of oil. It would have helped with the supply that we have here, yet she voted against it," Demuth said. "But you have to ask yourself, why are things so expensive here in Minnesota? They are expensive because of overspending by a one party control in 2023 and 2024, I will bring down prices. I will right-size our state budget and make sure that you can afford your lives, that you can grow, thrive, and businesses will be coming to Minnesota to provide the jobs that are needed.
随着明尼苏达州人继续应对不断上涨的医疗保健成本，两位候选人就奥巴马医改展开了交锋，克洛布查尔曾在美国参议院为该法案投了赞成票。
It's common sense, and that's the decision that you have to make as you're looking to this election this year." As Minnesotans continue to grapple with rising health care costs, the two candidates sparred over ObamaCare, which Klobuchar voted for in the U.S. Senate.
“重要的一点是要意识到，我们正在审视所有的投入以及我们医疗保健费用更加昂贵的所有原因，”德穆思说。“克洛布查尔参议员支持了《平价医疗法案》。她曾承诺这会降低我们的医疗保健成本。不幸的是，我们看到的却恰恰相反，自《平价医疗法案》出台以来，所有明尼苏达州人的医疗保健成本都增加了。”克洛布查尔在回应中没有提及奥巴马医改，而是指出德穆思在堕胎问题上的立场，并指责这位共和党人听命于大型制药公司。
"It's important to realize that we're looking at all of the inputs and all of the reasons why our health care is more expensive," Demuth said. "Senator Klobuchar supported the Affordable Care Act. She promised that it would bring down our health care. Unfortunately, we have seen anything but all of our health care since the Affordable Care Act has increased the health care cost to all Minnesotans." Klobuchar didn't address ObamaCare in her response, instead pointing to Demuth's position on abortion and accusing the Republican of being beholden to Big Pharma.
“你从我的对手那里听到我说不支持医疗保健中的某些事情，她谈论的是已经尘埃落定的问题，”德穆思说。“听到她作为《平价医疗法案》的决定性投票人从而破坏了医疗保健系统的人说出这样的话，我觉得真挺讽刺的。”在医疗保健讨论期间，克洛布查尔辩称德穆思在降低胰岛素价格方面做得不够，并援引了她从亚历克斯·史密斯家属那里获得的支持。亚历克斯·史密斯是一名26岁的明尼苏达州人，在挣扎着支付不起胰岛素治疗费用期间不幸离世。
"You've heard from my opponent that, I don't support certain things in health care, she's talking about issues that are already settled," Demuth said. "I think it's quite rich to hear the fact that she is the one that broke the health care system as the deciding vote on the Affordable Care Act." During the health care discussion, Klobuchar argued that Demuth has not done enough to lower insulin prices and cited the support she has received from the family of Alex Smith, a 26-year-old Minnesotan who died while struggling to afford his insulin treatments.
“为了澄清一个你刚刚听到的非常不正确或不真实的谎言，那就是我确实对亚历克斯·史密斯的胰岛素法案投了赞成票，”德穆思回应道。“那是2020年4月。州长在第二天就将其签署成为法律。”克洛布查尔于2006年首次当选参议员，她在全部四次参议院选举中都以可观的优势获胜，其中包括在2024年的连任中以近16个百分点的优势胜出。在进入参议院之前，克洛布查尔曾两次当选明尼苏达州人口最多的亨内平县的县检察官。她还曾参加2020年民主党总统候选人提名的竞选，但未能成功。
"Just to clarify a very incorrect or untruthful lie that you just heard was the fact that I did vote yes for the Alex Smith insulin bill," Demuth responded. "Back in April of 2020. The governor signed it into law the very next day." Klobuchar, who was first elected to the Senate in 2006, won all four of her Senate elections by healthy margins, including her 2024 reelection by nearly 16 points. Before serving in the Senate, Klobuchar was elected twice as county attorney in Hennepin County, Minnesota's most populous. She also ran unsuccessfully for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.
德穆思于2018年首次当选明尼苏达州众议员，自2023年初以来一直担任该院的共和党领袖，并在过去一年半里担任议长。
Demuth, who was first elected to the Minnesota House in 2018, has served as GOP leader in the chamber since the start of 2023 and as speaker for the past year and a half.