Ed Markey, Kevin O’Connor expect Monday debate to highlight stark differences
U.S. Sen. Edward Markey and Republican challenger Kevin O’Connor will face off in their first and only debate Monday, a bout each candidate hopes will highlight their stark ideological differences and give voters a clear-cut choice as ballots begin to land in their mailboxes.
“We don’t take anything for granted. Senator Markey’s prepared very diligently for the debate,” Markey campaign manager John Walsh said. “I suspect it will be substantive because there are real strong differences on the issues. … I think voters are going to see a real choice between the two of these guys.”
Markey has leaned hard into his progressive roots throughout this election cycle, touting his co-authorship of the Green New Deal in the primary battle against U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy III in the Democratic primary. He’s also recently voiced strong support for expanding the Supreme Court and abolishing the Senate filibuster should Republicans rush through President Trump’s nominee before Election Day.
O’Connor, a Trump supporter, is touting a “common sense” vision focused on rebuilding the economy and promoting “community safety” as municipalities debate police reform amid a national reckoning on racism.
“Ed Markey and I are fundamentally different on the most basic issue of neighborhood safety and good jobs,” O’Connor said, adding that when voters “focus on the real-world consequences” of Markey’s proposals, “I feel confident that they will turn on him.”
The opponents’ sole debate — which will air at 7 p.m. Monday on GBH and will be moderated by Boston Public Radio hosts Jim Braude and Margery Eagan — will play out against the backdrop of Trump’s coronavirus diagnosis and a rescheduled Patriots game.
O’Connor had pushed for seven debates — the same number Markey participated in against Kennedy — but the senator wouldn’t budge, even with the Republican called for one specifically on the Green New Deal.
Polling in the race has been scant. A recent survey of 907 likely Massachusetts voters conducted by Remington Research Group and paid for by the O’Connor campaign showed the Republican trailing the incumbent by 10 points.
“I understand people think it’s a tall order for a Republican to win a Senate race in Massachusetts. But Senator Markey is now a dyed-in-the-wool democratic socialist,” O’Connor said. “I don’t think the voters of Massachusetts will embrace those radical ideas in 2020.”
As the Capitol’s coronavirus contagion spread to the Senate, Markey’s campaign released a statement Sunday saying the lawmaker had tested negative. O’Connor’s campaign would not confirm if he had been tested in recent days.
WGBH did not require the candidates to be tested as part of the ground rules of the debate.
from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2GxzT2q
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