2020 Massachusetts Senatorial race: debates and news coverage


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OnTheIssues.org excerpts:  (click on issues for details)

Abortion     Ed Markey: Massachusetts should lead in protecting right to choose.     Shiva Ayyadurai: Personal decision that involves two lives.     Ed Markey: Champion of woman's ability to make her own decisions.

Budget & Economy     Ed Markey: Pay for $2000 stimulus checks by repealing Trump tax cuts.     Kevin O`Connor: $2000 monthly payments during pandemic grossly irresponsible.     Shiva Ayyadurai: Budgetary transparency will lead to infrastructure spending.

Civil Rights     Shiva Ayyadurai: Arizona data showed Biden win was statistically impossible.     Kevin O`Connor: Racial justice: enforce the lawl problem isn't the police.     Kevin O`Connor: I don't know what systemic racism means, but racism exists.     Shiva Ayyadurai: Affirmative action hasn't helped most blacks.     Joe Kennedy III: Kennedy leads task force for transgender equality.

Corporations     Shannon Liss-Riordan: I see the games corporations play to rig the system.

Crime     Kevin O`Connor: Horrified by Floyd murder, but do not defund police.     Ed Markey: Ban "weapons of war" including tear gas from police use.

Drugs     Joe Kennedy III: Concerns with marijuana legalization: take a deep breath.

Energy & Oil     Ed Markey: Green New Deal has shifted the whole discussion.     Kevin O`Connor: The Green New Deal will wreck U.S. economy.     Kevin O`Connor: Green New Deal would sell out American workers.     Kevin O`Connor: Net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 through innovation.     Ed Markey: More offshore wind and solar--but no Green New Deal.     Shannon Liss-Riordan: More offshore wind and solar--and Green New Deal.     Shiva Ayyadurai: Climate change cause irrelevant; focus on solutions.

Environment     Kevin O`Connor: Need strong federal policy to protect clean air and water.     Shiva Ayyadurai: Real problem is not climate change but pollution.     Ed Markey: Nuclear power is a very expensive way to boil water.     Shannon Liss-Riordan: Nuclear power may be carbon free, but it is not risk free.

Foreign Policy     Ed Markey: COVID: Supported travel ban from China.     Kevin O`Connor: Failure to criticize China over COVID is weakness.

Free Trade     Kevin O`Connor: America first means robust free trade.

Government Reform     Kevin O`Connor: Every vote must count; make ballots more accessible.     Shiva Ayyadurai: Pledges to serve one term, not focus on re-election.     Ed Markey: Ok with outside PAC ads, if positive ads.     Joe Kennedy III: Supports People's Pledge: no outside PAC spending.     Joe Kennedy III: Proposed pledge to limit spending from outside groups.     Shannon Liss-Riordan: Pledge to limit campaign spending from outside groups.     Joe Kennedy III: Necessary regulations costs are crippling.

Gun Control     Kevin O`Connor: Supports right to bear arms and background checks.

Health Care     Ed Markey: COVID: Trump's response "criminally negligent".     Kevin O`Connor: Competitive marketplace will reduce health care costs.     Kevin O`Connor: Repeal ACA only if pre-existing conditions still covered.     Kevin O`Connor: Against mask mandate; "all contact is not equal".     Shiva Ayyadurai: Patients & doctors determine vaccinations, not government.     Al Gross: Alaska has most expensive health care in the world.     Al Gross: Public option allows Alaska to compete on equal basis.     Joe Kennedy III: ACA has done good things for people in need.     Ed Markey: Expand online clinical trials registry.

Homeland Security     Al Gross: Sullivan cut Alaska bases to support border wall.

Immigration     Kevin O`Connor: Against sanctuary cities, enforce immigration laws.     Shiva Ayyadurai: Borders need to be strong, laws need to be enforced.     Ed Markey: Would not trade protecting DACA for wall.     Dan Sullivan: Shift military funding to build border wall.     Shiva Ayyadurai: Path to citizenship for those here with clean records.     Joe Kennedy III: Kennedy promises to fight for DACA recipients.     Ed Markey: Supports comprehensive immigration reform.

Principles & Values     Kevin O`Connor: Promises to serve no more than two terms.     Kevin O`Connor: MA voters do not want Markey's socialism.     Shiva Ayyadurai: Rational scientific approach for real solutions.     Ed Markey: Legislating is about issues: look at my record.     Joe Kennedy III: Legislating is about which causes we care about first.     Joe Kennedy III: Co-sponsored Do No Harm Act: keep church and state separate.

Social Security     Ed Markey: Opposes privatizing, or any changes that reduce benefits.

Tax Reform     Kevin O`Connor: Trump tax cuts led to greatest economy in last 40 years.

Technology     Ed Markey: Expand program to get every child internet access.     Shiva Ayyadurai: Make data from taxpayer funded research accessible.

War & Peace     Ed Markey: 2003 Iraq war vote was a mistake; 2013 Syria vote was not.     Joe Kennedy III: Opposed 2003 Iraq war; opposed 2013 Syria war.

Click for quotations from other sources by: Al Gross Independent 2020 Senate Challenger Alaska Dan Sullivan Republican Senator Alaska Ed Markey Democratic Senator Massachusetts Joe Kennedy III Democratic Senate challenger Massachusetts Kevin O`Connor Republican Challenger Massachusetts Shannon Liss-Riordan Democratic 2022 A.G. Challenger Massachusetts Shiva Ayyadurai Massachusetts Independent Challenger