ST. PAUL — U.S. Sen. Al Franken and GOP challenger Mike McFadden met for a third and final debate Sunday evening, capping off a campaign that for McFadden and Republicans looks like the race that could have been.

The two candidates brought their mostly sleepy campaign to a close by agreeing with each other more than ever before at the debate hosted by Minnesota Public Radio.

Though they continued to spar over health care, foreign affairs and Franken’s voting record — carried over from debates past — McFadden and Franken agreed on the need for immigration reform and curtailing government surveillance programs. And McFadden professed support for net neutrality, an issue Franken has pushed hard in latter half of his term.

Despite Franken’s narrow win in 2008 and promises from outside organizations to back McFadden this time around, the race never evolved into the drag-down fight some were predicting.

Republicans are bullish on their chances to gain six seats and win back the Senate majority thanks to a favorable map — 21 Democrats are up for re-election, with many in conservative-leaning states. But with vulnerable incumbent Democrats on the ropes in states such as North Carolina, Alaska and Colorado, outside Republican groups mostly skipped over Minnesota and spent their millions elsewhere.

McFadden ran an energetic campaign on his own, putting hundreds of miles on the campaign pickup truck every day for cozy gatherings across the state, but never narrowed Franken’s steady lead in public polling. The investment banker and first-time candidate held to his vow that his campaign wouldn’t tap into his considerable personal wealth.