Republican Rep. Mike Lawler and former Democratic Rep. Mondaire Jones traded jabs and attacked the other's records in Washington, D.C. during News 12's exclusive first debate in the race for New York's 17th Congressional District.

"Mondaire Jones is a radical extreme leftist, he was the third most progressive member of Congress, and he affiliated with The Squad," Lawler said.

"He's not the bipartisan he says he is, because he would be supporting a bipartisan border security bill that he is currently blocking right now even as we experience the migrant crisis in the state of New York," Jones said.

The hourlong debate, which was pretaped in News 12's Westchester studios this morning, will air in full tonight at 8:30 p.m.

The candidates were asked a variety of topics based on viewer-submitted questions that included public safety, abortion, foreign policy, housing and affordability.

Most experts consider this race to be one of the most competitive and consequential house races in the entire country. The winner is likely to help dictate which political party controls Congress next year.

You can watch the entire debate tonight at 8:30 p.m. on News 12 and news12.com and on our YouTube channel.