"I'm an Eagle Scout," Walker said.

The tense event, held at Vilas Hall on the UW-Madison campus, was broadcast statewide. Those in the room as well as people in remote locations in LaCrosse and Wausau were able to question the candidates. And this was the only debate in which the two were able to question each other.

Multiple polls over the months have shown Barrett trailing Walker. So, as expected, Barrett was on the offensive. And, as expected, Walker accused Barrett of engaging in negative attacks against him to hide his own lack of solutions.

Walker slammed Barrett over things such as tax increases in Milwaukee. And Barrett focused many of his criticisms of Walker on the economy, especially over tax cut proposals that Barrett said would devastate crucial programs like education and worsen the state's staggering $3 billion budget hole.

But after a question about gay marriage, Barrett also criticized Walker and his running mate, lieutenant governor hopeful Rebecca Kleefisch, over social issues, saying they had positions that are "entirely out of the mainstream" here on issues such as access to birth control, abortion rights, embryonic stem cell research and equality for same-sex couples.