During the Wednesday evening debate – likely the only one between the two main candidates vying for Maryland’s top political seat – Dan Cox and Wes Moore presented their cases for why voters should choose them for the job.

But just as much time was spent correcting the record as was spent laying out plans.

Democrat Wes Moore–a veteran, author, and nonprofit executive–was randomly selected to give the first opening statement. He used the opportunity to reiterate the ethos underpinning his campaign since its inception: “Leave no one behind.”

Republican Dan Cox is a freshman delegate from Frederick County running on a platform to “restore freedom to the free state.” He spoke briefly about how his experience in the State House has equipped him to take on the job. He then cited a 2020 Salon article in which Moore discusses reallocating police funding, characterizing it as “defunding the police.” (Moore refuted this.)

The two candidates continued to spar for the remainder of the event, particularly about issues that have captured national attention.

When asked, Cox did not directly answer whether he trusts the accuracy of the state’s elections, or if he would accept the results of the 2022 election, but he did hint at concerns about the process.

“Democracy is at stake, right? We have a republic that means the constitutional procedures must be followed. That’s all I’ve ever sought to do and that’s what I intend to continue to do.”

Moore said he trusts the election process and would accept the results of the November vote. He also took a jab at Cox, citing his record of perpetuating myths of election fraud surrounding former Pres. Donald Trump and the 2020 election. “I’m standing on stage with an extremist election denier,” Moore said.

Things grew especially heated when the conversation turned to abortion. Cox, who describes himself as pro-life, has both introduced and supported legislation that would limit or eliminate abortion in the state (those bills failed in the Democrat-led General Assembly). In what appeared to be an attempt to reassure those who support reproductive rights, he said abortion care is already so protected in Maryland there is little he could do as governor to change that.

Still, he said he’s committed to protecting the life of “the unborn,” and he criticized Moore’s stance supporting Maryland allowing abortions to be performed into the third trimester. He added, “I believe you would also sign the bill that would deny care after birth to someone that survived an abortion.”

Moore said he “want[s] Maryland to be a safe haven for abortion rights,” and said he would support enshrining the right to an abortion in the state constitution. He noted he would not interfere with the current laws around late-stage abortions. “I do not believe that lawyers and politicians and judges should be getting in the way of the relationship between a woman and her doctor,” he said.

The candidates also touched on transportation, specifically Gov. Larry Hogan’s plan to expand parts of the Beltway and I-270 and add toll lanes.

Cox did not mention the Beltway, but said he supports the expansion of I-270 because spending so much time idling in traffic is harmful to the environment, but he did not address plans for the Beltway. He then accused Moore of wanting to ban “gasoline cars” in favor of public transportation, which Moore refuted.

Moore wasn’t as clear about where he stands on I-270 specifically, but called the level of traffic on the Beltway “economically, environmentally, and psychologically dangerous.” He pledged to alleviate congestion on both and to fix the American Legion Bridge. He says he would use three lenses for every economic project: equity, the environment, and local involvement.

With just under a month until Election Day, two independent polls give Moore a significant lead over Cox. Early voting begins on Oct. 27 and the last day to request a mail-in ballot is Nov. 1. The election is Tuesday, Nov. 8.