SAUL LOEB/Arizona Daily Wildcat Democrat Janet Napolitano and Republican Matt Salmon debate last night. They were joined by Libertarian Barry Hess and Independent Dick Mahoney.

The four candidates for Arizona governor faced off at a near-campus debate last night, testing their ideas for Arizona's future ÷ and their wit.

Libertarian Barry Hess, Independent Dick Mahoney, Democrat Janet Napolitano and Republican Matt Salmon spent the bulk of the debate addressing education and the state budget, while also touching on their individual platforms.

Hess was the first to speak, and set the casual tone of the debate by commenting that all the candidates already knew each other's speeches.

"I'll give Napolitano's speech," he said. "But it wouldn't be the speech of a democrat, it would be the speech of a socialist."

Napolitano fired back later, saying she was used to being called "Republican" in the primary race.

Hess called his campaign a "money back guarantee."

"What we've gotta do is get money back out into the economy and not into the government," he said.

As part of his campaign to decrease the size of the government, he supports privatizing the universities because the "monopoly" of government education has "led to mediocrity."

He said that he supports getting the universities off the state "dole" completely.

Mahoney said that he "doesn't mind walking a new road."

He said that he is the only candidate who advocates making deep, significant budget cuts in areas like the departments of corrections and commerce, while pouring money into universities, healthcare and K-12 education.

His cuts to accommodate a projected $1 billion-plus state shortfall, would total more than $500 million.

"If we don't make these cuts, we'll see the universities starve to death, he said.

Napolitano said she wants to make education and closing tax loopholes her top priorities.

"I will fight, fight, fight for the universities and community colleges," she said.

While she said that she cannot promise to protect the universities from cuts, she wants to look for other sources of revenue from the private and public sector to help fund the universities.

Salmon said he will keep all the promises he makes, especially his promise that he won't raise taxes.

When examining what to do with university funding, he said "we need to be creative."

Like Napolitano, Salmon wants to find more ways of bringing in federal dollars for research.

In addition to laying out their plans, the candidates provided comic relief for the audience.

When asked if he supported Proposition 203, which deals with marijuana issues, Hess said, "Let's fire up a fatty, and we'll talk about it."

When given the chance to pose a question to another candidate, Mahoney, Salmon, and Hess didn't hold back from targeting Napolitano, the front runner in two statewide polls released Monday.

The Rocky Mountain Poll, which surveyed 662 voters, showed Napolitano with a 16-point lead among likely voters, up from last week's 3 point lead.

"I am now six-for-six" when it comes to being asked questions by the other candidates, she said.

The next governor better have a strong sense of humor and humility in order to face the difficult changes that are up ahead, Hess said in his closing comments.

Mahoney said that as an independent, he has "no strings attached."

He said that he doesn't even have an "umbilical attachment to Phoenix, Arizona," although he is a Phoenix-born native.

Napolitano said that the state can no longer afford repeating the failed policies of the past.

"It's high time for a change," she said.

Salmon said that those who don't want more taxes and more spending should vote for him.

"I will not raise your taxes," he said.

More than 500 people attended the debate in the Marriot University Park. It was sponsored by the Goldwater Institute and the Tucson Citizen.