New York Democratic House candidate Martha Robertson drew groans from the audience of the debate between her and Republican Rep. Tom Reed after she accused Reed of being part of the “war on women.”

“Tom Reed, you’re part of the war against women,” Robertson said, to immediate groans and laughter. (RELATED: Palin: Fake Feminists Keep Women Dependent On Government)

“Please, everybody, please,” the moderator said, trying to quiet the murmuring.

Reed, for his part, slammed what he called “political rhetoric at its worst. I have eight older sisters. I had a single mother. What I am trying to do is, I will stand for women.”

“To engage in the rhetoric of the war on women, to me, that is offensive and it’s just not accurate,” he concluded, to applause.

Earlier in the month, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee announced that it was canceling a planned $465,000 ad buy on Robertson’s behalf. Despite being pegged as a competitive race early on, observers have largely agreed that Robertson’s campaign has “flopped,” and RealClearPolitics now has the race marked “Likely Republican.”

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