Race to replace John Kerry: Who's real champion of the 'little guy'?
In the first televised debate between the Massachusetts Democrats seeking to replace John Kerry in the Senate, Stephen Lynch accused front-runner Ed Markey of 'siding with the big guys.'
In the first televised debate between the Massachusetts Democrats seeking to replace John Kerry in the Senate, Stephen Lynch accused front-runner Ed Markey of 'siding with the big guys.'
In their first televised debate before a special US Senate election, Rep. Stephen Lynch sought to make up some ground against front-runner Rep. Ed Markey, framing the race as a debate over which of them really stands up for ordinary citizens.
The two Democrats, in their bids for the seat recently vacated by John Kerry (D), sparred over issues ranging from health care and abortion to the economic plight of Bay State fishermen.
Representative Lynch challenged his rival to explain a vote to bail out the banking industry in 2008, and his ties to big telecommunications firms.
鈥淭here seems to be a pattern,鈥� Lynch said in the Wednesday match-up. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e siding with the big guys against the little guys鈥�. What鈥檚 up with that?鈥�
Representative Markey, the longest-serving member of the state鈥檚 congressional delegation, parried the attacks by saying he has used his career in the House to break up telecom monopolies, and that the banking bailout was needed to rescue the whole economy from the risk of a severe depression.
鈥淲e could not allow the banking system to collapse onto the hopes and dreams of every family in America,鈥� Markey said.
Lynch is pitching himself as the centrist in the race, at a time when Congress needs to break a pattern of partisan gridlock. Contrasting himself with both the 鈥渉ard left鈥� and 鈥渉ard right,鈥� he said 鈥淚 don't work for Nancy Pelosi,鈥� and聽 that if elected to the Senate he won鈥檛 work for majority leader Harry Reid.
In a state with a strongly Democratic electorate, Markey鈥檚 stronger liberal credentials may be one reason he鈥檚 been polling ahead of Lynch. He said the vote for Obamacare, the Affordable Care Act, was the 鈥渢he proudest vote of my career,鈥� and that he鈥檚 supported abortion rights for three decades.
Lynch identifies himself as pro-life, while also saying he鈥檚 against overturning the Supreme Court鈥檚 Roe vs. Wade decision. He praised the group Planned Parenthood (which has endorsed Markey) because reducing unwanted pregnancies is 鈥渢he real goal鈥� in the quest to bring down abortion rates.
Lynch was one of the rare House Democrats who voted against the Affordable Care Act. He explained his vote by saying the measure raised taxes for businesses and lacked a 鈥減ublic option鈥� health plan to spur competition in the insurance industry.
On the Republican side, a handful of less-known Massachusetts politicians are competing for the nomination: former US attorney Michael Sullivan, state Rep. Daniel Winslow, and Gabriel Gomez, a private equity investor and former Navy SEAL.