INDIANAPOLIS -- Before November's general election, Indiana's two candidates for attorney general participated in a debate, challenging each other's views on several topics and providing perspective for voters for why they believe they should be elected. This weekend, the spirited debate between Todd Rokita, Indiana's current Republican attorney general, and Destiny Wells, the Democratic challenger, aired on INFocus, the FOX59/CBS4-produced political program which airs throughout the state. During the debate, Wells aggressively attacked Rokita's record and his priorities during his tenure as Indiana's attorney general. Rokita also fired back, linking Wells to the Democratic Party as well as decisions made by the Joe Biden/Kamala Harris administration. The debate can be viewed in the video player above, as well as in the two other video players in this story. Candidate backgrounds Two Indiana attorney general candidates will be on November's election ballot. Rokita, the state's current attorney general, is currently running for reelection. This comes after Rokita first announced in February 2023 he would run for attorney general again. Rokita was first elected to the position in January 2021 and has since raised awareness on several topics, including calling for higher education institutions to combat antisemitism, developing an Indiana Parents' Bill of Rights and launching a portal where individuals can upload "potentially inappropriate materials" that students are reportedly exposed to in the classroom. Rokita was also the subject of multiple disciplinary complaints during his time in the position, including a public reprimand by the Indiana Supreme Court surrounding comments he made on Fox News regarding his office's investigation into Dr. Caitlin Bernard, an Indianapolis doctor. Wells was named the Democratic candidate for Indiana Attorney General at the party's convention In July. Wells, an attorney and combat veteran, initially announced her candidacy in November 2023 after previously running for Indiana secretary of state in 2022. Debate During the debate, Rokita and Wells had one minute to answer a question and 30 seconds to answer follow-up questions or rebuttals. Additional time was provided throughout the debate for clarifying questions. Attorney General Role The first question of the debate centered around what both candidates believe the role of the state's attorney general should be. Both candidates took this opportunity to use the question as a form of opening statement, introducing themselves and what they, and their campaign, stand for. Rokita said he sees the role of attorney general as being one of "protector," something he said his office has been doing since "day one." Rokita cited the office's work about protecting from what he believes are "bad ideas" from the federal government, citing the proposed "Green New Deal" which Rokita claims "jack up (Indiana's) electric prices." Rokita also took this time to talk about the southern border, which he said is causing the state to have "increased Fentanyl... and sex trafficking with (the state's) little kids," as well as his office's work to fight corporate wrongdoing. Where can I vote early in Indianapolis? "Now, we have a 94% success rate in our office for keeping criminals behind bars and that’s what protection means," Roktia said during the debate. Wells also took the chance to introduce herself during this first question, highlighting her background as a lieutenant colonel in the Army National Guard. Wells said she made the decision to get into governance to impact policy when she was in Afghanistan, stating she realized "the uniform would not be enough." This caused Wells to come back to Indiana and become a deputy attorney general under former Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill. “But with my leadership experience that I had, I saw that leadership was lacking," she said. "We need better leadership in the office. I want to start doing things like making sure Hoosiers have medical privacy, that we’re looking at workers and we’re bringing integrity back to how we serve Hoosiers.”  Abortion The next set of questions surrounded the status of abortion in Indiana, starting with a set of comments Rokita made against Dr. Bernard on Fox News. According to previous reports, Bernard was found to have violated patient privacy laws in May 2023 after she disclosed to a media outlet she performed an abortion on a 10-year-old rape victim. In response to his office's investigation into Bernard, Rokita told Fox News host Jesse Watters that Bernard is an “abortion activist acting as a doctor — with a history of failing to report.” These comments caused a disciplinary complaint to be issued by the Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission, stating Rokita had violated the Indiana Rules of Professional Conduct. Eventually, Rokita signed a document from the commission, which said his comments could "reasonably be considered" a violation of the conduct rules. “I submit my agreement to discipline because I know that if this proceeding were prosecuted, I could not successfully defend myself,” Rokita said in the affidavit at the time. This comes after Indiana implemented its near-total abortion ban in August 2023. The ban prohibits all abortions in the state but for three exceptions: When reasonable medical judgment dictates that performing the abortion is necessary to prevent death or a serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function, or the “health or life exception.” When the pregnant person receives a diagnosis of a lethal fetal anomaly When the pregnant person is a victim of rape or incest. Rokita said during the debate that despite the complaint, he does not believe his law license could be suspended. "I mean, we’re talking about something that happened two years ago," Rokita said. "We’re talking about 16 words. Let me tell you something, it was a horrific thing to hear — a 10-year-old. What happened to her is absolutely horrible, and we were all shocked. I was even more angry and shocked that a medical doctor for political gain would go to (a media outlet) with this little girl’s story, divulging her confidence and divulging her identity.”  Rokita said what Bernard did was wrong and stressed he would say the same thing if he got the chance to do it over again. “It was ill-timed," he said. "I agree with the Supreme Court. But, nothing I said was untrue, and that’s the reputation I have with the people of Indiana. I’m always direct. I always tell them the truth.”  Regarding the state's abortion law, Wells said she knows what Indiana's abortion law is, and knows her responsibility as attorney general if she is elected to the position. "I do know though what I won’t do," she said. "I will not abuse my authority so that I go after doctors and scare them away from the state of Indiana.” During her comments, Wells also brought up additional ethics complaints against Rokita. According to previous reports, an additional grievance was filed against Rokita by William Groth, an Indianapolis lawyer. In July, Groth claimed Rokita violated his duties as attorney general by calling the public to sue the Indiana Department of Health to inspect and copy terminated pregnancy reports. In response to this, Rokita claimed the complaints are coming from the Democratic Party, stressing the political party is making a "complete weaponization and politicization of (a) judicial institution." The two then went back and forth on this topic. Wells stressed once again the Indiana Supreme Court stated the first complaint was "founded" and that he violated the conduct rules. Rokita responded that he “agreed with the Supreme Court to settle the matter" so it could stop "being a distraction.” Demeanor For the next question, Wells was asked a viewer question surrounding her "aggressive" approach to communication on social media. In response, Wells said she grew up in an industry where she was usually the only woman in the room. "I think that the times have called for women to be more confident in how they carry themselves, and especially into elected office," Wells said. “...I will continue to fight for Hoosiers. I will continue to be aggressive.”  Wells then referenced her opponent's "aggressive" approach, stating Rokita is "so aggressive that he can't keep himself within the limits of (the state's) rules of professional conduct." Rokita was then asked about his public questioning of the state's COVID-19 reporting methods, as well as using his platform to share a misleading claim about funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and immigration. According to previous reports, former President Donald Trump accused FEMA of spending its money helping illegal immigrants in the United States instead of helping with the recent hurricanes. This caused FEMA officials to respond they had "enough money" for hurricane response. When asked if Rokita feels it is his responsibility to share accurate information with the public, he said his office does share accurate information. Specifically regarding the COVID-19 data, Rokita stated his office conducted a report that allegedly showed "misrepresented causes of death" that were initially linked to COVID-19. In March, Rokita's office claimed the Indiana Department of Health "vastly inflated" COVID-19 death counts that were deaths reportedly caused by things like gunshot wounds, fires, car accidents, blunt force trauma, drowning and drug overdoses. The office also claims that the department reported "unsound positivity rates" when it comes to COVID-19. "Nothing misleading about that," Rokita said. "That's about exposing problems, even within my own party. So, I'm very bipartisan when it comes to that. It's important to have an independent Attorney General, and I've been that at every step of the way with the people of Indiana." In a follow-up comment, Wells said she believes "misinformation and disinformation is such a threat to the vitality and security of this nation," specifically highlighting Rokita's comments about FEMA. "This past week, Mr. Rokita, he repeated misinformation about FEMA, and he did so in a public way," Wells said. "He's part of the problem, not part of the solution." Rokita retorted it was "free speech" and it was accurate. "They are putting the illegal aliens in hotels, giving them cell phones and giving them meals," Roktia claimed during the debate about FEMA. "I appreciate her military work," Roktia then said about Wells, "but she's also a foot solider in the Kamala Harris left-wing army. They are putting illegal aliens above Hoosiers, and that's what she'll do as attorney general." In response to Rokita's claims, Wells said she has always put the United States first. "I hate to beat the same drum, Todd, but (immigration) is a national security concern," Wells said. "There's nothing you could do (about it) as attorney general?" Rokita interrupted. After a back-and-forth, including multiple interruptions from Rokita, Wells requested the moderator, IN Focus Anchor Dan Spehler, allow her to finish her comments. "There's something you didn't do as Attorney General," Wells said as Rokita attempted to interrupt her comments. "When you were, sir, when you were ... Dan, may I finish? I know for a fact. I know, I know that you've been interrupting, Todd." Immigration The spirited conversation surrounding immigration continued after the debate's only commercial break. Wells was next asked what role Indiana should play in the conversation surrounding immigration. Echoing her previous comments on the topic, Wells said she believes immigration is a national security issue and that the attorney general needs to be focused on having a "safe and prosperous state." "What the Indiana Attorney General's job is not, is not to be using taxpayer dollars to go to the border and then not just go to the border, but hit a political rally on the way home," Wells said. "We need to stop preying upon people's fears. It takes a steady hand and a holistic approach for immigration, not making people scared of their neighbors. "We need a level-headed person who understands that from the state diplomatic level, city to state diplomacy, that we need to engage immigration in coordination with the federal government, who is in charge of immigration policy." In his response, Rokita cited his previous jury trial and court experience. "We do thousands of trials and criminal appeals and civil appeals every year, Destiny," Rokita said. "What you can't do is just go into court and throw a fit. You have to go into court with facts So, I went down to the border, and I gathered facts." Rokita said Indiana became the first non-border state to file a lawsuit surrounding the situation at the southern border, claiming when the border is not being enforced, "every state is a border state." "You see it in the increased crime, the Fentanyl abuse," Rokita said. "Ask any cop on the street what's going on. There's sex trafficking. Our most precious gift from God, our children, are being trafficked ... because Biden and Harris put in 47 executive orders telling the Border Patrol, and this is what I found out when I went down there, to stand down." In response to Rokita's attack on Wells, she said she was not sure why he framed that she would "throw a fit" in court, something Wells stressed she has never done. Social Media Safety One of the topics Rokita's office has spoken out about several times during his time as attorney general is social media safety, specifically the role of TikTok in Indiana. This comes after Rokita filed litigation about the platform through the office. When asked about balancing safety concerns with the personal freedom to use the mobile application, Rokita said TikTok is a social media platform from the "Chinese Communist" government that should be dismissed altogether. "I encourage your viewers to get rid of TikTok," Rokita said. "They're data mining you if you're an adult, and they're corrupting your kids. Within 30 seconds of a child signing up for TikTok, they'll learn how to pole dance. They'll be subjected to ads for alcohol and drugs." Wells said she would reevaluate the litigation Rokita entered against TikTok because she believes it "drains" the state's resources. Wells used this time to criticize Roktia for using out-of-state attorneys to represent the state of Indiana. "If we're going to deal with social media platforms, my priority would actually be to do it in the court of Indiana and put it in front of a Hoosier jury," Wells said. Rokita said if the office wants to win a case, they have to get the best talent, stating sometimes, Indiana attorneys have conflicts. Halloween 2024: Trick-or-treat times in central Indiana "There's attorneys across the nation that specialize in this type of work," Rokita said. "That's what we use every time. We have a great winning record. Again, 94% success rate. No law firm anywhere has that kind of success rate. But your Indiana Attorney General does." "I would say, if we have to do go out of state to find the best talent," Wells responded, "we should probably start back at your office and note that the best talent has actually left the office." An additional back-and-forth exchange occurred between Roktia and Wells, where Rokita told Wells not to "disparage the people who work" in the office. Wells then responded that she believed Rokita's comments to mean, "they were not good enough to handle litigation." Closing statements After the testy exchange between the two ended the topic-based line of questioning, the last portion of the debate consisted of Rokita and Wells being asked to say something nice about their respective opponent "in the spirit of encouraging more civil campaigns." In response to this request, Rokita said Wells was "a fighter." Wells said Rokita "stays in it for the long haul." The debate then ended with closing statements. In her closing statement, Wells said: "It is my privilege and my honor to be here. I want to make sure that we are restoring integrity to the Indiana Attorney General's office. We're getting away from one-party rule, and we're being level-headed. I want a Hoosier taxpayer to be able to walk into the Indiana Attorney General's office and not know if it is a Republican-led office or a Democratic-led office. They will just know that (there) are great attorneys that are protecting their interests." In his closing statement, Rokita said: "When Hoosiers walk into our office, and I know that they do, I see them all the time, I want them to know that they've got someone in their corner. I want them to know they got a fighter, not a foot solider for Kamala Harris. When you have Todd Rokita in office, you have a fighter. I love this state. I love the people of this state. I work to protect you every day. We've been through some of the stats, 94% success rate ... a record $1 billion from corporate wrongdoers and then going after companies who left dangerous chemicals in our soil and then are hurting us. I ask you to join us. I ask for your vote. Let's keep Indiana moving forward." Reactions to debate After the debate, Rokita's team told FOX59/CBS4 in a statement it was "clear" that Rokita won this debate. “...Destiny Wells cannot defend her positions as a foot soldier in Kamala Harris’ left-wing army," Brent Littlefield, a campaign consultant with Roktia's campaign, said in the statement. "(Rokita) made it clear he is fighting to protect Hoosier jobs, defend taxpayers and end illegal immigration, which is driving up crime.” The Wells campaign also declared victory after the debate, stating that she "delivered the facts with a clarity and directness that demonstrated she’s ready to lead." “Destiny showed Hoosiers what leadership looks like—authentic, principled, and prepared to fight for them,” Hannah Smith, a spokesperson for the Wells campaign said in the statement. “As a combat veteran and dedicated public servant, she proved that she has the experience, temperament, and vision to represent every Hoosier. Meanwhile, Rokita’s performance only confirmed what we’ve long known: he lacks the judgment and professionalism to continue in this role, even going so far as to insult the legal talent of attorneys across Indiana.” Early voting has started in the State of Indiana. Marion County voters are able to vote at the Indianapolis City-County Building, as well as other locations starting on Oct. 26. That information can be found if you click here. For early voting locations in your area, visit the Vote 411 website.