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Both sides landed some punches, but there didn't seem to be a knockout in the high-stakes debate Thursday night between Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Sharron Angle.

In one of most intense Senate contests nationwide, the two candidates sparred over everything from whose role it is to create jobs to illegal immigration to possible privatization of the Department of Veterans Affairs to past voting records during an intense 60-minute debate in Las Vegas.

"The tax cuts need to be made permanent," Angle told Reid. "And with voting for over 300 tax increases, senator, we can't trust you with taxes. Not only that, you came from Searchlight [Reid's hometown] to the Senate with very little. Now you're one of the richest men in the U.S. Senate. Now on behalf of Nevada taxpayers, I would like to know, we would like to know, how did you become so wealthy on a government payroll?" she asked.

Reid shot back, "That's really kind of a low blow. I think most everyone knows, I was a very successful lawyer. I did a very good job of investing. I have been on a very fixed income since I came to Washington. I've lived off of what I made in the private sector.

"I put my five kids through 100 semesters of school, and I paid for every penny of it. So her suggestion that I made money being a senator is simply false, and I'm really disappointed that she would suggest that. I will further say, if she wants tax cuts made permanent for everybody, we have a deficit problem to worry about also -- $4 trillion it would cost to have these tax cuts extended in the future. That's quite a load, $4 trillion," he said.

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"Social Security is a promise we have to keep. It takes care of seniors in their golden years. That's why I worked so hard to protect Social Security," Reid said.

"Man up, Harry Reid. You need to understand we have a problem with Social Security," Angle told him, saying now that she has more information she has changed her mind on privatization. She said the government should offer private retirement accounts as are offered to federal employees.

Reid was put on the defensive about the state's dire economy and why the Obama administration and Congress didn't first tackle unemployment and mortgage problems before health care. Nevada leads the nation in unemployment at 14.4 percent as well as in foreclosures.

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