Running for U.S. Senate in a state like Virginia that prides itself on its fiscal restraint, Republican George Allen and Democrat Tim Kaine are trying to avoid being drawn into the political mudslinging on Capitol Hill over how to get federal spending under control. Allen is embracing parts of House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s plan to trim the federal deficit by about $6 trillion over the next 10 years, including tax cuts, dramatic reductions in federal spending and Ryan’s proposal to convert Medicaid, the federal-state program for low-income residents, into a block program run by the state.

But Allen has remained mum on Ryan’s proposed reforms to Medicare, which would convert the popular program to a voucher system — a proposal Democrats are widely crediting with helping them win a special House election in New York this week that heavily favored Republicans until their nominee embraced Ryan’s plan.