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At a rehearsal Wednesday for the GOP presidential candidate debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, Simi Valley Councilman Glenn Becerra stood in for Sen. John McCain.
After watching the debate in the Air Force One hangar on Thursday, Becerra threw his support behind former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani. "Rudy was the clear winner," Becerra said after the debate.
Becerra was among a bevy of local elected city and county officials who attended the first presidential debate held at a presidential library, and the reviews of the occasion were, for the most part, positive.
"I was impressed, of course, to have a debate in Ventura County at the Ronald Reagan Presidential library," said Supervisor John Flynn, one of only two Democrats on the Board of Supervisors.
Flynn said he found most of the questions hard-hitting and said that while some candidates answered them bluntly he thought others skirted issues. The supervisor said Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, stood out among the pack of 10 candidates.
"It's always exciting to be a part of the American system," Flynn said. "Even though I'm a Democrat I was glad to be there."
Moorpark City Councilman Keith Millhouse said that at times it seemed as if the candidates were jockeying to give answers to questions. "It was like grade school," Millhouse said.
Millhouse said he wished candidates had been able to give more in-depth answers. He said he was disappointed when the candidates answered no when asked if the U.S. Constitution should be changed to allow immigrants to run for president. He said he believes California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has done a good job and denying him or other immigrants the opportunity to run for president reflects poorly on the party.
"I don't know if anyone distinguished themselves," Millhouse said. "I haven't picked anybody."
Simi Valley Mayor Paul Miller was pleased with the debate and the attention it called to the city. Miller said the few moments of levity were good, as was the audience. "It was a positive event," he said.
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