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U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva and Republican challenger Ron Drake sat a few feet from each other Monday night, but the distance may as well have been miles.

The two and Libertarian candidate Joe Cobb offered disparate views for Southern Arizona on topics ranging from the war in Iraq to environmental protection and tax reform at the Arizona Daily Star-sponsored debate in Access Tucson's studios Downtown.

There were a few heated exchanges between Drake and Grijalva, but the debate was for the most part mild and temperate. While Grijalva sought to characterize the race as part of a national referendum on Republican leadership, Drake attacked Grijalva's record as one of liberal extremism.

The 7th District covers much of Tucson's South and West sides, reaches north to near Phoenix and extends across Southwestern Arizona to include Yuma.

Perhaps the biggest difference between Drake and Grijalva is their stance on Iraq. Grijalva reiterated his position that he would like U.S. forces to be pulled out within six months.

"It's not if we bring them home, it's how and when," he said, adding that he felt the war in Iraq was separate from the war on terrorism. "The war on terrorism is about securing and making sure that what happened in 9/11 hasn't happened again."

Drake said he supported staying the course in Iraq, characterizing it as part of the war on terror. He said he would keep soldiers in Iraq until "the mission is complete."

Drake attacked Grijalva's record. For example, he questioned why Grijalva voted against a 9/11 memorial, saying it undermined the war on terror.

Grijalva, seeking his third term, dismissed the claim.

He said he voted against the resolution because it said the Patriot Act, a fence on the border and the war in Iraq were all appropriate things to do.

"I disagree with all those three premises. Why did it need to be part of a resolution that was memorializing victims and instead turned it into a political statement?" Grijalva asked. "I took the prerogative and asserted my independence that I am not going to support a resolution that panders and politicized a moment in time when we should be memorializing and honoring the victims of that tragedy."

Drake, who served six years as mayor of Avondale, a west Phoenix suburb, has admitted that he has not read up on the ballot propositions, and he stumbled over the topic. Asked how he could represent the district if he didn't know the ballot initiatives, Drake said the two were not connected.

"I have until Nov. 7 — because I vote the day of the election — to get up to speed on those propositions," he said.

With issues like spending and taxes, the two split along party lines. Grijalva said he favors repealing tax cuts while Drake supports making them permanent. On immigration, the two said they supported comprehensive reform and the need for a guest-worker program. They only differed on the recent fence legislation, which Grijalva called a "political gesture." All three candidates said they oppose the Protect Marriage amendment.

Of course, there was also an alternative in the room.

Cobb, a retired economist from Avondale, was the most lively of the three candidates, offering humor and wit along with alternative solutions.

He said he was against the war and would like to have the troops withdrawn by the middle of next year. The immigration issue could be resolved, he said, if Congress would increase immigrant and visa quotas. Such an increase would also provide tax revenue for Social Security.

"Immigration is one of the most positive things in American society today, and we need more people to come to the U.S. because that's how we save Social Security," he said.