Landrieu, Cassidy Get Testy In Final Senate Debate

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu questioned her Republican challenger Bill Cassidy's fitness for office in the last Senate race debate, as she struggled to overcome long odds in her re-election bid.

Landrieu accused the GOP congressman Monday night of bilking taxpayers in his medical teaching work at the LSU hospital system. She suggested Cassidy collected a $20,000, taxpayer-funded annual salary for little or no work, describing gaps in his timesheets.

Cassidy said he did nothing improper and provided care to the poor and uninsured. He stuck to his message of tying the Democratic senator to unpopular President Barack Obama, saying Landrieu's support for Obama's agenda damaged the state.

The event was the only debate in advance of Saturday's runoff election. Cassidy is the front-runner in the race, and refused additional debates.