RALEIGH, N.C. — Republican Sen. Thom Tillis and Democrat Cal Cunningham met in Raleigh for their third and final debate Thursday.

The candidates were congenial and largely respectful of each others’ time and did not interrupt during the debate moderated by Spectrum News 1’s Tim Boyum. Cunningham and Tillis are locked in a tight race for the seat that some political watchers say could swing the Senate.

After the hour-long debate, the candidates bumped elbows and joked about barbecue in the election.

Barbecue did not come up during the debate, but here are some of the big issues that did and what the candidates said:

COVID relief bill

Cunningham: “We need to protect those with unemployment insurance. We need to put that $600 a week in the hands of those who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own. We need to support our educators, make sure they have the tools they need,” Cunningham said at the beginning of the debate.

He said the next coronavirus relief bill should help local governments pay first responders and make sure small business owners have the loans that they need to get through the pandemic.

Tillis: “I voted for a follow-up to the CARES Act just three weeks ago,” Tillis said, referring to the massive coronavirus relief package passed over the summer.

“It was for the Paycheck Protection Program, it was for funding for education, for opening schools safely, it was for vaccine research, it was for extending unemployment,” he said. That bill ultimately did not pass.

Supreme Court

Tillis: On the Supreme Court seat left open after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Tillis said he feels “very confident that Amy Coney Barrett will be confirmed.”

Pushed on his comments telling President Barack Obama in 2016 to let the American people vote before the Senate considers a Supreme Court nominee, Tillis said, “We don’t have the same circumstances today.” Many Republicans say they have a mandate from voters to seat a new justice because they control both the Senate and the presidency.

Tillis also said he didn’t necessarily think Barrett would have to recuse herself in any dispute over the election. The election could potentially go to the Supreme Court if there are disputes over the vote, as it did in 2000 with Florida’s notorious “hanging chads.” Tillis said there was a “very well thought out process” on recusal, and he was sure every justice on the court would follow that procedure.

Cunningham: Asked about the president’s nominee, Cunningham said he would meet with Barrett, but would not say how he would vote on her nomination.

“I would give her a job interview before I would give her my vote,” he said. He said Tillis would approve anyone nominated by the president, calling the Republican’s vote a “rubber stamp.”

“The next president should take this matter up,” Cunningham said, noting that’s the same position Tillis took four years ago. “Elections have consequences,” he said. “We need less partisanship in our courts and not more,” he added, saying that waiting until after the election would make the process less partisan.

Cunningham said he would not vote to add more seats to the Supreme Court. “Justice Ginsburg herself said nine was the right number,” he said.

Abortion

Cunningham: The Democratic nominee made his position clear in one line: “I believe that a woman’s choice is a woman’s right."

Tillis: Asked about how he thinks the president’s nominee would vote on Roe v. Wade, Tillis said, “Nobody knows how she’s going to rule on that.”

He said he supports cases working through the courts that would require doctors to have admitting privileges at local hospitals and holding abortion clinics to certain standards, moves that pro-choice advocates say limit access to abortion.

Health care

Tillis: “The Affordable Care Act is not working,” Tillis said. Pushed on his plan to replace Obamacare, Tillis said, “We have to have a comprehensive plan.” He said Republicans will be “rolling out a plan,” but gave no details.

Instead, Tillis turned the question to his opponent, saying Cunningham wanted Medicare for all, calling it a “government-run health care system.”

Cunningham: The Democrat said he does not support Medicare for all. He said he did support the Affordable Care Act and said, “We need to build off it and improve on it.”

He also said he supports adding a public option “that gives us more choices” with a mix of private and public.