2018 Massachusetts Senate race: debates and news coverage

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

Abortion     Heidi Wellman: Oppose abortion as an unrestricted right.     Allen Waters: Conservative on abortion rights.     Geoff Diehl: Conscientious taxpayer objection to abortion.

Budget & Economy     Beth Lindstrom: Helped reduce needless business regulations to increase jobs.     Heidi Wellman: Market-led recovery better than stimulus.     Jeff Colyer: Low taxes & less regulation key to expansion.

Civil Rights     John Kingston: Most diverse group to ever attend a political kick-off.     Heidi Wellman: Comfortable with same-sex marriage.     Beth Lindstrom: Supports state law legalizing same sex marriage.     Shiva Ayyadurai: Only a real Indian can defeat a fake Indian.     Shiva Ayyadurai: It's about free speech, not against Black Lives Matter.

Corporations     Elizabeth Warren: Proposes new federal limits for corporations.     Beth Lindstrom: Cut corporate taxes.     Heidi Wellman: Accountability of current program funds.     Geoff Diehl: Get government off the back of small business.     Allen Waters: Free enterprise with lower taxes is the key.

Crime     Elizabeth Warren: Criminal justice system is racist front to back.     Heidi Wellman: Stricter punishment doesn't reduce crime.

Drugs     Heidi Wellman: Marijuana isn't a gateway drug.     John Kingston: Focus on opioid crisis instead of divisive rhetoric.     Allen Waters: Demand for drugs by whites is putting more blacks in jail.

Education     Heidi Wellman: Vouchers for school choice.     Shiva Ayyadurai: Educational-industrial complex not yielding skilled students.     Geoff Diehl: Charter schools have more flexibility.     Allen Waters: No free college, no government loans.     Allen Waters: More choice, more charter schools.

Energy & Oil     Heidi Wellman: Oppose prioritizing green energy.     Shiva Ayyadurai: Innovation, not regulation.     Geoff Diehl: Fought linking gas tax hikes to inflation.

Environment     Heidi Wellman: Fight EPA regulatory over-reach.     Shiva Ayyadurai: GMOs are destroying our health; establish safety standards.     John Kingston: Oppose subsidies of uneconomic green technologies.     Geoff Diehl: Compromise on allowing fishing despite fraud in reporting.

Families & Children     Allen Waters: Believes in traditional American values.

Foreign Policy     John Kingston: Our allies should bear more of our common burden.     Heidi Wellman: American Exceptionalism is too vague.     Allen Waters: Supports Israel and settler movement.

Free Trade     Heidi Wellman: Support & expand free trade.

Government Reform     Heidi Wellman: Oppose making voter registration easier.     John Kingston: Washington is broken: term limits for members of Congress.     Beth Lindstrom: For Congressional term limits.     Heidi Wellman: Term limits for US Congress.     Geoff Diehl: More public access; more checks on state spending.     Shiva Ayyadurai: We need term limits against lobbyists & career politician.

Gun Control     Heidi Wellman: Absolute right to gun ownership.     Heidi Wellman: National gun license initiative.     Shiva Ayyadurai: Protect constitutional gun rights.     Allen Waters: Opposes strengthening gun laws.     Allen Waters: I keep my gun license in my pocket.     Geoff Diehl: Unwavering support for gun rights.

Health Care     Heidi Wellman: Oppose ObamaCare.     Beth Lindstrom: Bipartisan cooperation instead of socialized medicine.     Shiva Ayyadurai: More choice in healthcare, including Ancient Eastern.     Geoff Diehl: Reduce the number of healthcare mandates.     Geoff Diehl: Opposes single-payer healthcare.

Homeland Security     Allen Waters: Congress needs to act on the shameful treatment of veterans.     Heidi Wellman: Expand the military.     Shiva Ayyadurai: Deliver services that our vets need and have been denied.

Immigration     Heidi Wellman: Oppose pathway to citizenship for illegal aliens.     Beth Lindstrom: Against sanctuary cities.     Heidi Wellman: Refugees must be vetted for threats.     Shiva Ayyadurai: We need secure borders & clear enforcement.     Geoff Diehl: Build wall; fight illegal immigration.     Allen Waters: Opposes sanctuary cities.

Jobs     Heidi Wellman: Oppose affirmative action in hiring.

Principles & Values     Elizabeth Warren: DNA test shows Native American ancestry generations back.     Elizabeth Warren: Globe review: no use of Native American heritage in hiring.     Heidi Wellman: Keep God in the public sphere.     Elizabeth Warren: Calling me "Pocahontas" is a racial slur.     Geoff Diehl: Served as Trump campaign co-chair in Massachusetts.     John Kingston: Calling Warren "Pocahontas" is inappropriate but she did lie.     Shiva Ayyadurai: Warren shoplifted racial identity of Native American.

Social Security     Heidi Wellman: Don't privatize Social Security.

Tax Reform     Allen Waters: Advocate of FairTax system, pay taxes only on what you buy.     Heidi Wellman: Oppose higher taxes on the wealthy.     Shiva Ayyadurai: Low taxes for innovators & job creators.     Geoff Diehl: Voted against all tax increases.

War & Peace     Beth Lindstrom: Why is Sen. Warren dissing U.S. foreign policy in China?     Heidi Wellman: They're not merely "foreign entanglements".     Shiva Ayyadurai: Expose the war in Iraq as a fake war.

Click for quotations from other sources by: Allen Waters Republican candidate for Massachusetts U. S. Senator Massachusetts Beth Lindstrom Republican candidate for Massachusetts U.S. Senator Massachusetts Elizabeth Warren Massachusetts Senator; considered 2016 presidential run Geoff Diehl Republican candidate for Massachusetts U. S. Senator Massachusetts Heidi Wellman Republican candidate for Massachusetts U. S. Senator Massachusetts Jeff Colyer Kansas Candidate for Governor John Kingston Republican candidate for Massachusetts U.S. Senator Massachusetts Shiva Ayyadurai Independent for Massachusetts U.S. Senator (withdrew) Massachusetts