ROME -- The race for the 24th Congressional District is heating up.

Less than two weeks before the election, polls show Democratic incumbent Michael Arcuri holding a ten point lead over Republican challenger Richard Hanna. The two candidates got a chance to meet face to face at a breakfast forum held the Beeches in Rome Thursday morning. The forum, sponsored by the Rome Chamber of Commerce, gave Arcuri and Hannah a chance to answer questions that were received by the chamber beforehand.

Hannah, a successful businessman, accused Arcuri of supporting government spending programs that have hurt the economy. " I don't need the government to pretend it knows what it needs to grow the economy. Seventy percent of all new jobs are created by the private sector it has always been that way and will always be that way. The government is fundamentally incompatible with the growth of the private sector," Hanna says.

Arcuri defended the need for a strong federal government not only for its ability to create jobs but for its role as a watchdog overseeing big business. " Who's going to watch the corporations. That is the role of government. There is a fundamental difference between us. I don't think our government is our enemy. I think our government is our friend. We need to work with government to make sure it is doing the right thing," he says.

The candidates also met for a debate at Cayuga County Community College in Auburn.