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Sen. Warren and challenger Deaton spar over international issues, but agree on East-West rail in final debate
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and GOP challenger John Deaton sparred over immigration, the war in Ukraine and abortion rights in their second and final debate Thursday night.
Warren, a two-term incumbent, holds a sizable lead in the polls over Deaton, a personal injury lawyer and cryptocurrency advocate. The two are competing for the only statewide race on the ballot.
The debate in Springfield, hosted by New England Public Media and GBH News, featured several heated personal exchanges between the candidates. Deaton attacked Warren’s decision to vote against a bipartisan border bill earlier this year. The immigration proposal was killed in the Senate and largely opposed by Senate Republicans at the urging of former President Donald Trump.
“The bottom line for everybody out there is that Sen. Warren has the same exact position as Donald Trump: do nothing,” said Deaton, who added he would have supported the deal.
Warren called the bill “doomed,” and said she voted against it to signal she wanted changes in the legislation. Pressed by Deaton, Warren said she would reconsider her position if the bill was brought to the Senate again under a Kamala Harris presidency. “I’ll certainly take a hard look at it,” she said.
When the topic turned to the war in Ukraine, Warren put Deaton on the defensive.
“What Mr. Deaton has already said is that he would not fund Ukraine. Look, I sit on the Senate Armed Services Committee,” said Warren. “We are fighting the frontline war for democracy.”
Deaton responded that Warren’s claim about supporting Ukraine wasn’t true but his “vote has to be earned” before he’d agree to send more money to support Ukraine’s defense against Russia.
Deaton, a relative newcomer to politics and Massachusetts, then quoted the late rapper Tupac Shakur: “They got money for war, but can’t feed the poor.” The candidate drew on his personal history, growing up in poverty outside of Detroit several times.
Warren spent much of the debate trying to tie Deaton to Trump and the national Republican party on issues like abortion, immigration and the environment. Deaton countered that he has opposed Trump and supports abortion rights, vowing to introduce legislation to codify Roe v. Wade into federal law if elected.
Later, the two traded barbs over the future of cryptocurrency, which Deaton advocates for and Warren wants to regulate.
But the two candidates also found common ground on their support for the proposed East-West Passenger Rail, which would expand rail service between Boston and western Massachusetts. Both said they would support more federal funding for the project.
The debate ended on a light note, with questions about their favorite spots in western Massachusetts and things they’ve learned to appreciate about the state since moving here. For Deaton, it was seafood; Warren noted the fall foliage.
Watch the full debate, here:
Early voting begins this weekend. (Click here for WBUR's voter guide.)
