An exchange of ideas and visions for the future in New York’s 24th Congressional District took hold as the Republican incumbent John Katko and Democratic challenger Dana Balter debated Thursday, less than a week before voters head to the polls.

“I will be a representative who shows up, who listens, and who stands up for you in Washington,” said Balter.

“I was elected because I told you I was going to go to Congress and act in a bi-partisan manner,” said Katko, a two-term incumbent. “I respectfully submit I’ve done just that.”

Two candidates looking to be represent New York’s 24th Congressional District, which includes all of Onondaga, Wayne and Cayuga counties, plus part of Oswego County. They each made their final pitches to voters on Thursday. Spectrum News and Onondaga Community College hosted the event with anchor Tammy Palmer and D.C. reporter Jeevan Vittal moderating.

A number of topics were discussed and challenged from immigration:

“We have a very good process to determine who has a legitimate claim to asylum and who can then come in, and who doesn’t have a legitimate claim to asylum who we can turn back,” said Balter. “We need to put these folks through that process.”

“That’s being abused on the border, that standard, it’s risen about 12,000 percent over the last few years because people are coming to the border, immediately claiming asylum, because they know that gets them into the country, so that’s become a chronic problem,” said Katko.

To gun control:

“We have to do a couple of things, one, we need to pass some common sense gun safety measures in this country, we’ve got to do a better job of keeping guns out of the hands of people who can’t be responsible gun owners,” said Balter.

“I stuck up for the domestic terrorism program through my work on the Homeland Security Committee and I’ve also acknowledged the fact that there are some people that should not have guns — period. I’m a Second Amendment guy, I’m a hunter, fishing, and everything else, and I totally agree with that,” said Katko.

To the state of civility and respect in politics:

 

“The far left of the democratic party and the far right of the Republican party have a stranglehold on this process, and we also have a President whose Twitter-happy, and if I was God and could do one thing, I’d put him in Twitter time out,” 

 “We need to stop talking past each other and yelling at each other, we need to start talking to each other and listening to what other people have to say,” said Balter.

In a Spectrum News/Syracuse.com/Siena Research Institute poll last week, 53 percent of those polled are backing Katko, while 39 percent said they’re voting for Balter. Eight percent said they remained undecided.