Rep. Debbie Lesko defends virus response, Michael Muscato says it's ridiculous

Rep. Debbie Lesko maintained Monday that President Donald Trump has done “a good job” managing the new coronavirus pandemic, an assertion Michael Muscato, her Democratic opponent, called insulting to the families of the 210,000 who have died from the virus.

In a combative one-hour debate over who should lead Arizona’s West Valley-based 8th Congressional District, Muscato attacked Lesko as little more than a cheerleader for an administration that left small business owners, such as himself, struggling to survive.

“The whole world is struggling with the coronavirus because it's new. I think the president has done a good job,” Lesko said during the debate on Arizona PBS (Channel 8). “Of course, things could always be better.”

Muscato pounced on that sentiment, which is not in line with public opinion polling.

“I think I speak for the entire nation when I say that’s absolutely ridiculous,” Muscato, a gym owner, said. He said Washington has failed to provide continued assistance to small businesses and taxpayers, while government orders shut down businesses such as the gym he operates in Glendale. Lesko, he said, voted against some of the aid bills that would have helped Arizonans.

Lesko also criticized the Affordable Care Act, calling it "crappy," even for members of Congress.

"The premiums are high. The deductibles are high," she said. "We do not have a platinum health care, as is going around on Facebook or something. I actually use my husband's company's insurance because it's a lot better deal. I do not like government-run health care."

Lesko said Republicans, some of whom are doctors, have been putting together ideas that would preserve coverage while providing price transparency and put patient choice first.

Muscato agreed that the ACA isn't affordable in his experience, but he found alternatives that worked for his business. He said he favors a public option in health insurance. He criticized Lesko, and other Republicans, for not unambiguously advising people to wear masks during the pandemic.

He wishes "they would stop being fake doctors and just follow the science," in an allusion to Lesko's 2018 campaign attacks on Hiral Tipirneni, her Democratic rival who is a physician.

Muscato has made health care a focal point of his campaign, pledging that coverage of pre-existing conditions should be a basic American right.

Lesko touted her support for a Republican-led immigration and border security bill that would have boosted spending on a border wall and provided legal status for those who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children. 

Muscato said the nation needs to provide protection for that group, saying they are as American as anyone else and would add economic vitality to the country. He called for the issue to be voted on separately from other issues that are more contentious.  

"You don't think that if you made everybody that's here illegally U.S. citizens that millions more would come and be incentivized? I think you're living in a fantasy land," Lesko said.

Muscato also has called for immigration reforms that upgrade visas and boost the Border Patrol. Muscato says immigration reform requires politicians who won't exploit the issue, an implicit attack on Republicans.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Lesko was a rising national Republican star as she helped lead the public relations blitz for President Donald Trump during his impeachment trial in the Senate.

Today, she is still seen as the favorite to win a second term in the solidly GOP 8th Congressional District, which reaches from New River to the Sun Cities and includes Glendale, Peoria and Luke Air Force Base.

But the onset of the new coronavirus pandemic that has devastated older Americans, a group with a heavy presence in Lesko's district, adds new interest to the race.

In the months leading up to Trump's impeachment in December, Lesko emerged as a Republican to watch. She is a member of the House Judiciary and Rules committees, which gave her a prominent, front-row seat to the historic and bitterly partisan affair.

Trump surprised many — including Lesko — by naming her to his defense team. She provided unstinting support for the president throughout the Senate trial, a move that helped raise her national profile.

In June, as Trump tried to begin typical political rallies, Lesko attended the first rally, in Tulsa, Okla., that was a health and PR disaster but showed again Lesko's closeness to the president.

Republicans had a 16 percentage point registration advantage in the 8th District heading into the August primary.  

Lesko won her first full term in Congress in the 2018 general election by defeating Tipirneni by 11 percentage points.

Reach the reporter Ronald J. Hansen at ronald.hansen@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-4493. Follow him on Twitter @ronaldjhansen.

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