The candidates for governor in Washington state say voters should look at history to judge who is best to lead the state forward.

In a debate on Wednesday night, Republican Rob McKenna said it's clear that Democrats running Olympia are taking the state in the wrong direction. But Democratic candidate Jay Inslee questioned McKenna's praise for a budget proposal earlier this year that further cut funding to education.

McKenna said he supported the bipartisan nature of the budget but opposed the education cuts.

Both candidates say the state needs to focus on economic growth to raise revenues for state government and invest more money in education.

Wednesday's event at Washington State University campus in Vancouver was the second debate for McKenna and Inslee.