HAMDEN -- Attorney General candidates Martha Dean and George Jepsen wasted no time in drawing the lines between them and their opponent during a debate Monday night at the Quinnipiac University School of Law Center.

When asked about the issue of nullification, a legal doctrine that Dean has said she supports, she said it should be used "as a last resort when the federal government grabs power it's not properly assigned."

Nullification is the concept by which states could declare federal law null and void.

"The federal government was created to serve us; we don't serve the federal government," said Dean, a Republican and attorney from Avon with 22 years of legal experience.

Jepsen, a Ridgefield attorney and Democratic candidate who has practiced law for 26 years, said nullification is an outdated concept that led to the Civil War and "has no place in our discussion today ... The U.S. Supreme Court is the final arbiter with what is constitutional and not constitutional. It's not for the states to decide."

The two candidates also differed on whether they would stand against state agencies, which they typically represent, as the current Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has done in the past.

Jepsen said that while the attorney general has a duty to represent the agencies, "the attorney general also has a responsibility to the public at large and protecting the broader public interest."

Dean said she would not sue her own client, state agencies, unless "the state violates the constitutional rights of the people."

She added that her first line of attack would be to work with the state agencies to ensure that the laws are being followed.

"I would put personal opinion aside and defend the laws of the state," Dean said. "I disagree with the death penalty, but I would defend the constitutionality of it."

Dean said she also believes Blumenthal "threw the game" when it came to arguing against the state's law allowing same-sex marriages.

Jepsen received one of the few outbursts of laughter from the crowd during the debate when he took exception to the comment by Dean and called for her to apologize to Blumenthal.

He added that Dean, who ran against Blumenthal for attorney general in 2002, has never stopped campaigning against him.

"If she wanted to run against Blumenthal she should have entered the Senate race," Jepsen said.

Dean went so far as to call Jepsen "Blumenthal light," adding that, "I don't know if the public can tell who you are."

Jepsen said, as he has in the past, that like Blumenthal, he would have joined attorneys general from throughout the country in their fight against tobacco companies.

"One of Dick's finest moments was taking on tobacco companies that lied to Congress" about the health effects, Jepsen said, adding that the lawsuit also led to limits on tobacco advertisements.

Dean countered that the issue "shows great distinction" between herself and her opponent, adding that any limits to advertising is a legislative issue, not one for the courts to decide.

The Republican, however, said that if elected she would take on the federal government for the provision in the health care act that requires individuals to purchase health insurance.

"We need to return common sense to the Attorney General's Office to allow businesses and individuals to thrive again," Dean said.

Jepsen said that while the federal health care legislation is "far from perfect and a work in progress," he would support the provision.

"I believe the law is constitutional under the taxing authority and commerce clause," he said.