In the sole debate in the Massachusetts Senate race, Democratic Sen. Ed Markey and Republican challenger attorney Kevin O'Connor faced off on issues ranging from the Supreme Court vacancy to healthcare reform to the coronavirus pandemic. Here are five highlights from the hour-long debate, held at the GBH Studios in Brighton, Massachusetts:
Sparring Over China
The opening segment of the debate was dominated by a discussion on the coronavirus pandemic and whether there should be a mask mandate. (Markey supports a mask mandate while O'Connor is against it). The exchange became personal when O’Connor talked about his father contracting COVID and said that Markey was not willing to stand up to China. Markey argued that he agreed with the restrictions the Trump Administration placed on people traveling from China to the U.S.
Paying For The COVID Stimulus
Both candidates were asked about proposed stimulus legislation to provide financial relief to millions of Americans left financially unstable by the coronavirus pandemic. When pressed on how he would pay for his proposal, which would include sending $2,000 per month to every American for the duration of the pandemic, Markey said he would start by repealing the Trump Administration’s tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. And, the senator reminded the audience that Trump has paid as little as $750 in taxes.
The Supreme Court And Roe v. Wade
The death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has opened an opportunity for the Republicans to push the Supreme Court to the right for a generation. The candidates were asked about their positions on whether or not a nominee should be sworn in before the presidential election takes place. They were also asked about their positions on Roe vs. Wade, in light of President Trump's nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett, a federal appellate judge, to fill Ginsburg's seat.
A Healthcare Plan
Markey was asked whether his support for Medicare for All puts him at odds with his party's presidential candidate, former Vice President Joe Biden, who has said he would rather work within the existing framework of the Affordable Care Act to fix the healthcare problem plaguing this country. "Step one is, let's protect the Affordable Care Act from being eviscerated by Donald Trump and by people like Mr. O'Connor," Markey said. "But then let us make the transition to a point where everyone in our country is able to access the healthcare which they need for their families."
What Is Systemic Racism?
In light of a historic reckoning with racism occurring across the country and within the United States criminal justice system, O'Connor was asked about President Trump's repeated claims that such systemic racism does not exist. O'Connor responded, "I don't know what systemic racism means."
Watch the Senate debate in its entirety here, and watch the GBH News political team's insights and analysis that immediately followed the debate here.
