This image taken from video shows U.S. Sen. Angus King, I-ME, center, and two of his challengers – Democrat David Costello, left, and Republican Demi Kouzounas, right – at a Senate debate Monday night. Press Herald screenshot

Two-term incumbent U.S. Sen. Angus King defended his record amid tempered criticism from his Republican and Democratic opponents during a fast-paced debate Monday night.

The debate, hosted by CBS13 and the Bangor Daily News, featured King on stage flanked by Republican Demi Kouzounas on his left and Democrat David Costello on his right.

“It must be a coincidence, here I am in the middle, where I often find myself in Washington,” King said during his opening statement. He listed several areas of progress during his two terms but said there is much left to do on reproductive rights, border security and housing costs. “I’m ready to go back to continue the work I’ve been doing.”

Monday’s debate was one of two debates scheduled for this week. The second and final debate will be held Wednesday in Augusta and will be presented by the Maine State Chamber of Commerce. That debate will also feature independent Jason Cherry, who was not asked to participate in Monday’s event.

The debates have come late in the election season, as early voting is already well underway. During the most recent Senate race between Susan Collins and her challenger, Democrat Sara Gideon, in 2020, debates started in September.

King, an independent who previously served two terms as Maine’s governor, hasn’t been seriously challenged ever since he declared his intent to seek the Senate seat in 2012 after Republican Olympia Snowe opted not to seek reelection. He won with more than 53% support in three-way races in both 2012 and 2018, and although there hasn’t been much public polling on this year’s race, King is seen as a heavy favorite.

On Monday, King faced only mild criticism from Costello, a longtime government employee with little electoral experience, and Kouzounas, who previously chaired the Maine Republican Party and said she entered the race at the suggestion of Collins.

“Today, the American dream is slipping away,” Kouzounas said, referencing high inflation and housing costs and the border crisis. “Sen. King has been in politics for nearly two decades and things aren’t getting better.”

Kouzounas’ biggest campaign move was to visit the southern border, something she highlighted in a recent ad to criticize the country’s immigration system. But her campaign hasn’t gained much traction beyond base Republicans.

Costello is considered a long shot as well and previously said he has only stayed in the race because of ranked-choice voting.

“I believe Washington is broken,” he said. “And we need to do a lot more than change who we elect every two to six years.”

Perhaps the only major question that has faced King this cycle has been his age: He turned 80 this year, and is just one year younger than President Biden, who stepped aside amid mounting concerns about his own age.

King was asked about that by debate moderator Gregg Lagerquist. The senator responded as he has several other times – by reminding people that he’s younger than Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger and saying that people age differently.

Neither Kouzounas nor Costello called King too old but instead said Congress should have term limits.

The economy featured heavily during Monday night’s debate.

Kouzounas seized on inflation and high energy costs, which she said has been exacerbated by subsidies for solar and wind projects.

King said that although some economic factors show things are improving, he acknowledged the high cost of groceries and housing.

Candidates were asked about Social Security, which for years has been at risk because of aging baby boomers. Costello used the opportunity to criticize King for supporting raising the retirement age.

King, however, said he didn’t support raising the retirement age and pledged to continue working on making the retirement program solvent.

Costello said he would prioritize raising taxes on the wealthiest to help pay for government programs.

On immigration, Costello said it’s important to remember that it’s a “global problem not just a national program.”

King said his position is simple: “If you don’t have a border, you don’t have a country.” But he also said the issue has become too polarized to get any meaningful legislation passed.

Kouzounas painted a much darker picture of the border and tied it to the country’s drug crisis. And she criticized King for not being stronger on the issue.

King hit back at Kouzounas for her repeated use of the term “illegals,” reminding her that most people who come here to seek asylum are not, in fact, illegal.

“All of us here are descendants of immigrants,” he said.

The candidates were asked about abortion rights, where there was mostly agreement.

“I don’t think a woman’s right should depend on her ZIP code,” said King, who said he supports codifying the former Supreme Court decision known as Roe v. Wade into federal law. “Fundamentally, these are medical decisions.”

Even Kouzounas said she was pro-choice, something that has become almost anathema among Republicans.

“I agree that the government doesn’t belong in an exam room,” she said.

In closing, though, Kouzounas went back to criticizing King as a career politician who votes overwhelmingly with Democrats.

“As a veteran, as a mom, as a business owner, I can tell you we need common sense back in Washington, D.C.,” she said.

Costello said King has been capable but too cautious.

“While I appreciate that Sen. King has been a thoughtful senator, he’s been too reticent and hesitant to make the changes we need in Washington,” he said.

King, however, said one thing he’s learned in his 12 years in the Senate is that problems are only solved through compromise.

“The middle in the Senate is shrinking,” he said. “I want to continue to work with both sides. Bipartisan bills last longer. (They are) more permanent and more important to the American people.”