As U.S. Rep. Fred Upton stressed his bipartisan credentials during a campaign debate Wednesday, his Democratic opponent Matt Longjohn suggested that Upton talks like a moderate but votes like a conservative.

"People know me as problem-solver," said Upton, R-St. Joseph, who was first elected to Congress in 1986 and is seeking re-election in November. "People know that I'm about results. ... I work both sides of the aisle."

Upton name-checked a number of Democrats he has worked with over the years -- from former President Obama to U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint, to state Rep. Jon Hoadley, D-Kalamazoo -- and twice mentioned that former Vice President Joe Biden recently called Upton "one of the finest guys in Congress."

Upton also never mentioned President Trump by name, and distanced himself from the current administration. "I'm not 100 percent on board with our president," he said.

Meanwhile, Longjohn, a public health official who lives in Portage, said it's time for a "new generation of leaders" in Congress -- ones who are not beholden to special interests and who take seriously the issues of everyday people, such as the need to obtain affordable health care.

"Mr. Upton said for years before the tax bills passed that he wanted to end corporate subsidies and loopholes," said Longjohn. "Just like he said he was always going to protect essential health benefits and pre-existing conditions."

But Upton played central roles in a tax bill that left many corporate loopholes intact and a health-care bill that weakened protections for people with pre-existing conditions, Longjohn said.

"So Mr. Upton is for protecting pre-existing conditions until he's not. He's for ending corporate loopholes until he's not," Longjohn said. "If he says he's for Social Security and Medicare today, I don't know where he will be when that vote comes."

WWMT-TV, Channel 3, hosted the debate for the 6th Congressional District candidates, who also include Stephen Young, representing the U.S. Taxpayers Party.

Young, a Hopkins resident and facilities maintenance manager, said he is running to end "federal government overreach."

"The federal government involvement in our lives is what causes far more problems than we need," Young said during the debate. "Place limitations on the federal government, which the constitutional stipulates, and free us up.

"Federal government should never be involved in local matters, in education, in business, in farming, in water, in any of these things," said Young, who also advocated for a "Biblical" approach to solving problems.

Here's what Upton and Longjohn had to say on specific issues.

Health care

Upton said the Affordable Care Act has not provided affordable health care, and defended his support of a bill that ultimately failed in the Senate.

He said it was "bogus" to say he did not support coverage for people with pre-existing conditions, pointing to his proposal for $8 billion over five years to create high-risk insurance pools for people with expensive conditions.

Upton added that people would not have seen any change in coverage as long as they didn't allow their insurance to lapse.

Upton also touted his sponsorship of "21st Century Cures" legislation to boost funding for research into diseases such as cancer. "That's what we should be focusing on -- finding cures for these diseases," Upton said.

Longjohn said that Republicans have "sabotaged" the ACA, driving up health-care premiums.

Speaking with reporters after the debate, Longjohn offered a detailed critique of Upton's contribution to the health-care bill that failed in Congress. He said the $8 billion for high-risk pools was considered inadequate by groups such as the American Medical Association and the AARP.

Longjohn said that the Upton Amendment to the failed health-care bill was merely a fig leaf for Upton to support the bill while maintaining that he cared about people with pre-existing conditions.

"He was playing politics with people's lives," Longjohn said. "Everybody recognized that."

Jobs and the economy

Upton said that roaring economy is a sign that the tax cuts approved by Congress this year are working.

"Pfizer just announced a half-billion-dollar investment here," with 400 new jobs, Upton said. "They were going to expand overseas but because of the tax bill, they're doing it here.

"Like it or not, the tax bill has had a big hand in creating jobs," he said.

Longjohn pointed to wage stagnation in Michigan, as well as an increasing federal deficit.

"The deficits heaped on my children's backs are going to hurt the economy in the long run," he said.

Longjohn also pointed to comments by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell that he would like to cut Medicare and Social Security spending to help reduce the federal deficit.

"I'm not voting to cut Medicare and Social Security," Upton said.

Gun control

Both Upton and Longjohn said they support universal background checks.

Upton said that he was the only Michigan Republican to support background checks and he supports banning bump stocks, more funding for mental health and programs that would flag people who might pose a threat.

"I believe in the Second Amendment," Longjohn said. "I'm a gun owner."

But as a public-health official, Longjohn said, he also thinks that gun violence needs to be addressed from a public-health perspective.

Clean water

As Michigan continues to grapple with fallout from the Flint water crisis and the contamination of groundwater by PFAS chemicals, Longjohn accused Upton of supporting the Trump administration's efforts to deregulate the Environmental Protection Agency.

Meanwhile, Upton talked about his work with Democratic colleagues in trying to address the Flint water crisis and the PFAS issues in Parchment and elsewhere.

Higher education costs

"We need to do everything we can to help people send their children on" to college, Upton said, adding that he's been a longtime supporter of Pell grants and federal college loan programs.

Longjohn said there is "no better path to the middle class than education," and the federal government needs to ensure that federal loan rates are affordable.

Both candidates said they support loan-forgiveness programs for graduates in certain fields, without providing specifics.

Upton remains a favorite in the race

Upton is considered the heavy favorite in the race. Fivethirtyeight.com, the website run by Nate Silver, says the Republican has a 87 percent chance of running re-election.

In campaign finance statements filed Sept. 30, Upton has raised almost $2.8 million in campaign contributions compared to $1.1 million raised by Longjohn.

Still, this could be the tightest race ever for Upton, who typically wins by double-digit margins. Since his first win in 1986, his tightest contest occurred in 2012, when Upton took 54 percent of the vote compared to 43 percent for Democrat Michael O'Brien.

Upton, Longjohn and Young will attend a forum hosted by the American Association of University Women of Michigan at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 18 at South Haven High School.

Longjohn and Young are scheduled to attend an Oct. 24 Kalamazoo event hosted by the League of Women Voters. The forum will be held at 7 p.m. at The Fountains at Bronson Place.