Mark Warner in 2014 VA Senate debate

On Health Care: Ebola: screen passengers on flights from West Africa

Warner and Gillespie found common ground in their criticism of the Obama administration's handling of the Ebola outbreak. Warner said the administration should have moved more quickly in setting up Ebola screenings at major U.S. airports, while Gillespie said the U.S. should have already imposed a flight ban on planes coming from West Africa.

On Social Security: Opposes privatizing social security

As he's done throughout the campaign, Gillespie repeatedly accused Warner of being a rubber stamp for President Barack Obama's administration and criticized Warner's vote in support of the Affordable Care Act, which Gillespie said is hurting Virginia's economy. "I will not be a blank check for the president; I will be a check and balance on the president," Gillespie said.

Warner called Gillespie "the major cheerleader" for former President George W. Bush's unsuccessful bid to privatize social security, a move he said would be disastrous for Virginia's seniors.

On Gun Control: Restrict but don't ban high-capacity magazines

Warner has a complicated relationship with gun issues. In 2008, the NRA gave him an A--a grade the group says has expired; new rankings will come out soon. After the Newtown shooting, Warner declared his support for some gun-control measures and said: "There's got to be a way to put reasonable restrictions, particularly as we look at assault weapons, as we look at these fast clips of ammunition."

Yet four months later, his votes tell a different story. He voted against bans of high-profile assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and he supported efforts to protect gun owner privacy and grant rights to carry concealed weapons across state lines.

He did, however, vote for an unsuccessful compromise that would have expanded background checks for firearms purchases.

On Civil Rights: Switched to supporting same-sex marriage in 2013

Warner switched his position to endorse gay marriage in March 2013.

On Energy & Oil: All-of-the-above approach, including pro-coal

Gillespie dodged Warner's question at first, but when pressed again on his climate change beliefs, Gillespie said he thinks there is evidence to support it. Gillespie added, "Norfolk is dealing with rising sea levels but people can debate what contributes to that or not." Still, Gillespie said he thinks the administration's new carbon pollution rules "go too far."

Warner wasn't as quick to attack the new standards. Warner, a pro-coal Democrat, said he is for an all-of-the-above approach to energy, but thinks the U.S. needs to use cleaner sources to offset coal plants built in developing countries.

On Free Trade: Renew Export-Import Bank to support U.S. businesses globally

Warner noted that the Republican-leaning National Association of Manufacturers and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce both support renewing the Export-Import Bank. "It supports American businesses in a global economy, giving them a financial backstop," he said.

Gillespie noted that he understands the arguments for the bank. "I have a lot of friends who support the Export-Import bank, believe me," he said. "I think it's an area where we can get some savings. I know it's hard to stand up to the Chamber of Commerce [and] the National Association of Manufacturers," Gillespie added, but that's the job of a senator."

On Immigration: Send migrant kids back to Central America, after processing

Warner emphasized the need to speed up the processing of these children, but he said "many of these children will be sent home. That process will result in some of those kids going back, but there ought to be a process," he said.

On War & Peace: Keep military action on the table against Iran

On keeping troops in Afghanistan, [the debate moderator]asked whether Gillespie is closer to Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) or Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY). He did not directly answer, but he sounded a lot closer to the McCain view in arguing that troops should be there "as long as they're serving our national security interests."

Warner said he thinks Colin Powell was right when he said "you break it, you own it."

"Pottery Barn," Gillespie interjected.

On Health Care: AdWatch: Targeted by RNC robocalls for support of ObamaCare

The targets besides Mark Warner are Reps. Gary Peters (MI) and Bruce Braley (IA), Mark Begich (AK), Dick Durbin (IL), Kay Hagan (NC), Mary Landrieu (LA), Jeff Merkley (OR), Mark Pryor (AR), Jeanne Shaheen (NH), and Mark Udall (CO). The robocall script reads:

"President Obama and the Democrats said you could keep your healthcare plan under ObamaCare. Now we know [SENATOR] actually VOTED to make it more difficult. Call [SENATOR] at (XXX)-XXX-XXX & ask why [he/she] lied."

The robocalls are a response to Democrats launching the "GOP Shutdown Watch" campaign, highlighting Republican senate candidates who supported the partial federal government shutdown.

On Budget & Economy: Sequester was stupidest way to cut; shutdown cost even more

WARNER: Well, I think we need to step back a moment and say we just went through an awful period for our country. [The federal shutdown] actually increased the deficit. You can't start and stop the largest enterprise in the world, the federal government, without adding costs. We've actually built in higher interest rates because any time we get close to a potential default, we're going to have higher T-bill pricing. That passes through to mortgage costs, car loans, student loans. We ought to at least first make sure that we actually operate the government for a year going forward with a solid budget and find ways to alleviate some of the damage also being done by sequestration, which is this automatic spending cuts which was the stupidest way possible to go about cutting government. There were really no winners. I mean, our country took an economic hit, and a confidence hit.