2014 Massachusetts Gubernatorial debates and race coverage


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

Abortion     Don Berwick: States can't exclude Planned Parenthood from Medicaid.     Steve Grossman: Endorsed by NARAL as "a steadfast pro-choice voice".     Charlie Baker: I support a woman's right to choose.

Budget & Economy     Don Berwick: Fought against bank home foreclosures.

Civil Rights     Charlie Baker: Running-mate supports existing law on gay marriage.     Steve Grossman: Embrace marriage equality in the Democratic Party platform.

Corporations     Steve Grossman: OpEd: Combines progressive values with business experience.

Crime     Charlie Baker: Seek death penalty for Boston Marathon bomber.     Don Berwick: No death penalty for Boston Marathon bomber.     Steve Grossman: No death penalty for Boston Marathon bomber.     Deval Patrick: Marathon bomber will die in prison, one way or another.     Martha Coakley: Supports seeking federal death penalty for Marathon Bomber.     Charlie Baker: Hold accountable those responsible for state drug lab crisis.     Steve Grossman: 7-year sentence not enough for rogue state lab chemist.

Drugs     Charlie Baker: Vigorously oppose recreational marijuana but medical pot ok.     Charlie Baker: Get dispensaries open for medical marijuana.     Don Berwick: Rollout of medical marijuana was a management fiasco.

Education     Don Berwick: Student loan forgiveness for grads entering some professions.     Don Berwick: Teachers are not the problem; they are the solution.

Energy & Oil     Don Berwick: Tax carbon emissions to reduce "undeniable climate crisis".     Don Berwick: Double state investment in clean energy from 0.6% to 1.2%.     Martha Coakley: Supports cap-and-trade, but not a carbon tax.     Steve Grossman: Allocate 1% of state budget to climate change & clean energy.     Deval Patrick: $50 million to help Massachusetts deal with climate change.

Environment     Don Berwick: The air matters, the water matters; it's all a system.

Families & Children     Martha Coakley: PACWatch on DCF: not to fix it but to fight it.     Don Berwick: Seeds of kids' success are sown early--beginning prenatally.

Government Reform     Charlie Baker: Declined to sign "People's Pledge" against outside PAC ads.     Charlie Baker: $500 donor limit is crazy; it's suppression of free speech.

Gun Control     Charlie Baker: Let local police chiefs decide who can get shotguns.     Charlie Baker: Expand background checks; no gun unless mentally healthy.     Charlie Baker: Supports tough gun control laws.

Health Care     Charlie Baker: Push for a state waiver from ObamaCare.     Charlie Baker: Access to health care is a basic right.     Don Berwick: Institute for Healthcare Improvement: focus on quality.     Steve Grossman: Workplace wellness programs are a good investment.     Don Berwick: Triple Aim strategy: improve experience, health, and cost.     Don Berwick: Explore single payer system in Massachusetts.

Immigration     Martha Coakley: Opposed services for illegal immigrants; now supports them.     Steve Grossman: Local police helping deport illegals is a "blunt instrument".

Jobs     Steve Grossman: A million MA workers have no earned sick time.     Don Berwick: No one answer to job creation: appoint Czar of Adaptations.

Local Issues     Charlie Baker: One casino is best, but vote "no" on casino repeal.     Don Berwick: Casino gambling cannibalizes the Lottery and costs jobs.     Don Berwick: Only Democrat in race to oppose Gaming Act.     Steve Grossman: Repatriate money from Connecticut's casinos.     Don Berwick: Supports offshore wind farms.

Principles & Values     Martha Coakley: I know how tough my 2010 Senate loss was for many people.     Steve Grossman: We need a job creator, not a prosecutor, for governor.     Don Berwick: Son of a Connecticut doctor; attended med school in Boston.     Don Berwick: OpEd: "The second most dangerous man in America".

Technology     Don Berwick: $600M via gas tax indexing for transportation financing.     Steve Grossman: Create 50,000 "lab coat"-manufacturing jobs.     Don Berwick: Nurture public transportation, resist fare increases.     Don Berwick: Safe, convenient, responsive, reliable transportation system.     Don Berwick: Switch from gas tax to pay-per-use fees on mileage.     Martha Coakley: Supports commuter rail for the South Coast.

Welfare & Poverty     Charlie Baker: Raise both minimum wage & Earned Income Tax Credit.     Don Berwick: All means all: focus on equality and poverty.

Click for quotations from other sources by: Charlie Baker Massachusetts Republican Governor Deval Patrick Massachusetts Democratic Governor Don Berwick Massachusetts Democratic Gubernatorial Challenger Martha Coakley Massachusetts Democratic Challenger Steve Grossman Massachusetts Democratic Challenger