It was their second.

State Rep. Bob Onder (left), R-Lake St. Louis, and former state Sen. Ken Jacob (right), D-Columbia, debated abortion, which was also the topic of the previous debate. 

Onder, who sponsored the main anti-abortion bill this past session in the House, maintained the position that his bill took, which would have made it a criminal act to coerce a woman into having an abortion. Among other things, his bill also calls for physicians to be charged with a felony for performing abortions when they suspect a woman has been coerced.

Jacob maintained his position that this legislation would have a chilling effect on doctors, stating that women who go to abortion clinics are going of their own free will and that the government has no place in the doctor-patient relationship. He also called for bridging the gap between pro-life and pro-choice to work together to prevent unwanted pregnancies in the first place.

So why a second round for the two men?

"I think we wanted to do it on both sides of the state," Onder said.

The second debate was held without a moderator at the Wentzville Holiday Inn on Tuesday night, where more than 80 people gathered.

Chesterfield resident Molly McCann didn't care that the other candidates weren't there; she's not eligible to vote in the 9th district.

"I think it's important to get the issues out early on ... for the people who are still on the fence."

And it's important to be pro-active and to educate oneself, said Rebecca Freeman-Hoff of University City. She also wanted to hear the candidates in an open forum, but is not a voter in the 9th congressional district.

Voters in the district have a wide field from which to select, which may be one reason Onder and Jacob may be eager to stand out. Marvin Overby, a professor of political science at the University of Missouri at Columbia, says that Jacob and Onder are carving out identities as the liberal and conservative candidates, respectively.

Besides them, the other candidates are Democrats Rep. Judy Baker of Columbia, former House Speaker Steve Gaw of Moberly, Marion County Presiding Commissioner Lyndon Bode, and on the Republican side state Rep. Danie Moore of Fulton, former state Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer of St. Elizabeth, former MU football star Brock Olivo and St. Peters resident Dan Bishir. U.S. Rep. Kenny Hulshof, who held the seat, is running for the Republican nomination for governor. 

The first debate, which took place in Columbia in June, came after a few discussions Jacob had with reporters, where he said he'd debate any candidate on any issue. After some back and forth on the editorial page of the Columbia Daily Tribune, Onder agreed to a debate on an abortion bill he'd sponsored in the Missouri House. That bill, HB 1831, died when the session ended before the full Senate could vote on it.

The debate over abortion isn't a new one, but debates during a primary that include only two candidates, one from each of the major political parties, is.

"To the best of my knowledge, that's unprecedented," said Overby.

Jacob agreed.

"What Bob and I are doing is unique in American politics, and I think more of this is needed," he said.

During elections, Jacob said, 95 percent of the candidate's time is spent on the phone raising money. The rest goes to five-minute speeches in front of partisan groups.

Jacob didn't want to debate abortion again, but says Onder did.

And, he added, though he doesn't want to be seen as a one-issue candidate, he's happy to get any play at all.

In this election, that might be a good strategy.

In the 9th district, which includes areas rural and urban, liberal and conservative, there's no one community to gather around an issue, Overby said. Because of that, he said voters tend to vote on name recognition. That may explain why Jacob is trying to establish himself as the liberal candidate and Onder as the social conservative.

But in an interesting twist, the debate took place on the same day Missouri Right to Life endorsed Blaine Luetkemeyer as their Republican candidate in the 9th district.

"The endorsement of Missouri Right to Life proves that real results and not political rhetoric are what will make the difference for me when the people of the 9th District go to the polls in August and November," Luetkemeyer said in a statement on his Web site.

"I would just say my record speaks for itself," Onder replied. "I'm pro-life to the core."

Luetkemeyer, who noted that other candidates weren't even invited, said any debate should include all the issues important to voters, such as gas prices, taxes, the economy, the war on terrorism and illegal immigration.

The primary for the 9th congressional district take place Aug. 5.

No more debates are planned, at least for now.

"I think this'll be it," Onder said.

"I'm happy to debate," Jacob said. "That's what legislators do."