Matt Bevin in 2014 KY Senate debate

On Environment: I don't support cockfighting, but don't criminalize it

"I am genuinely sorry that my attendance at an event which, other than my comments, appears to have primarily involved a discussion of cockfighting, has created concern on the part of many Kentucky voters. I understand that concern," Bevin said. "I am not and have never been, a supporter of cockfighting or any other forms of animal cruelty."

Bevin had initially said he wasn't aware the event was a cockfighting rally, but a video uncovered by Louisville's WAVE-TV showed that Bevin was asked directly about whether cockfighting should be legalized--it is not now legal in Kentucky. He replied: "Criminalizing behavior, if it's part of the heritage of this state, is in my opinion a bad idea. A bad idea. I will not support it."

On Education: FactCheck: No, not MIT grad; education is "School of Life"

Bevin's representation of his educational background became an issue after The Hill reported last year that Bevin indicated that he was an MIT graduate or graduate of an MIT-affiliated program, in the headline section of his LinkedIn page. Further down his page, he stated he was a 2008 graduate of the Entrepreneurial Master's Program at the MIT Endicott campus. School officials said the three-week seminar Bevin attended had no formal link to the school.

Bevin changed his LinkedIn page to clarify that he did not graduate from MIT afterwards. Bevin now lists his education as "School of Life" instead of MIT in the headline section of his LinkedIn page.

On Budget & Economy: AdWatch: Supporting a debt-limit increase is too liberal

The ad features Bevin speaking direct-to-camera, declaring "after caving yet again to President Obama on the debt ceiling, all that Mitch McConnell can do is run false attack ads."

A narrator goes on to declare that "thirty years is enough," and calls McConnell "too liberal" and "too long."

McConnell has attacked Bevin in radio ads, knocking him for what the campaign sees as a "pattern of deceptions" from Bevin. McConnell's vote to raise the debt limit drew heavy criticism from conservatives and was seen as a risky vote for him. But the senator retains a solid lead over Bevin, and is heavily favored in the primary.

On Foreign Policy: No unilateral action in Eastern Europe

But would he want missile defense restored in Eastern Europe? "So much of that is contingent what the people in these places where the bases would be built have to say about it. We can't tell people unilaterally that they have to put missile bases on the

On Civil Rights: Why not define marriage as a parent marrying their child?

Bevin's campaign spokeswoman pushed back on reports on Bevin's comments: to suggest Bevin drew a connection between same-sex marriage and marriage between a child and a parent was a "gross misrepresentation of what Matt said. He sees no comparison between gay marriage and incest. He was discussing the implications of the legal rights such as hospital visitations. To imply otherwise is ridiculous," she said.

On Budget & Economy: No budget deal; let the sequester cuts take place

McConnell hasn't expressed an opinion specifically about the Ryan-Murray compromise but he has urged other Republicans to stand their ground on the budget and allow another round of sequester-related budget cuts to go into effect in January.

Bevin said he doesn't believe the plan's promised deficit reduction will ever happen: "Mitch McConnell is dodging a major issue. This deal is bad for America because it raises spending in the short-term for long-term cuts that everyone knows will never happen. McConnell should lead Republicans in demanding a deal that, at a bare minimum, sticks to the existing savings of the sequester."