Senator Scott Brown and Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren finally squared off face-to-face in a debate on Thursday night, and when they did, neither backed down from the criticisms they have lodged against each other from a distance on the campaign trail.

Brown, champing at the bit to get at Warren, pounced on the first question about their respective character to bluntly accuse the Harvard Law School professor of faking her claim to Native American heritage so she could gain an advantage in her career.