Several Massachusetts Democrats are mirroring a national trend of avoiding debates with their Republican opponents as the November general election inches closer.
Some of the biggest names appearing on the Democratic ballot in November will not be taking a debate stage, or at best, are waiting until after early voting starts September 29. The group includes state Treasurer Deb Goldberg, Attorney General Andrea Campbell, and Democratic nominee for the 6th Congressional District Dan Koh.
State Treasurer Deb Goldberg
Longtime state Treasurer Deb Goldberg has outright refused to debate her Republican challenger Elizabeth Dionne.
Goldberg, who has denied several debate requests from Dionne, also ignoring offers from GBH, cites Dionne’s “exclusively negative campaign,” as the reason she won’t share a stage in the fall.
“Our opponent continues to run a campaign based on fiction and personal attacks. As we have said consistently, the Treasurer will review all invitations for debates by reputable news organizations interested in hosting,” Goldberg’s campaign told the Herald in a written statement.
“Perhaps if our opponent spent less time running an exclusively negative campaign and more time learning about what the Treasurer’s roles and responsibilities are, she could have a more substantive conversation,” the campaign said.
Dionne says Goldberg owes it to taxpayers to defend her record over the past 12 years she’s been in office, adding that it’s “insulting” to Massachusetts voters and the Democratic party to not do so.
“She’s a 12-year incumbent in the fourth most powerful office in the state, managing up to 20% of the state budget on hundreds of billions of taxpayer assets, and only 23% of people can even name who she is. She owes the taxpayers an explanation as to where she’s been and what she’s been doing for the last 12 years,” Dionne said in a phone interview, going on to defend the merits of her campaign against Goldberg.
“We are not running a negative campaign. We’re running a campaign based solely on issues, but she’s done a lot negative things, whether it’s the Cannabis Control Commission, or failing to defend the pension fund from the governor’s attempt to take $100 million out of it this past summer, to failing to give department of correction workers credit for hazardous work conditions,” Dionne continued. “She has a lot that she needs to explain, and she needs I think it makes sense to do it.”
Dionne referred to a highly-publicized dispute between Goldberg and former Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) Chair Shannon O’Brien that highlighted internal strife in the state agency.
Attorney General Andrea Campbell
Andrea Campbell made it clear weeks ago that she would not be debating Republican opponent Michael Walsh in the general election as the first-term AG seeks reelection.
During an August appearance on GBH Radio, Campbell stated that she would not commit to debating Walsh due to her belief he should not be on the ballot, pointing to the signature collection snafu that saw two Republican Lt. Gov. candidates, as well as Walsh, get disqualified from the ballot. Walsh had only been allowed back on the ballot following an appeal in District Court to the original decision by the State Ballot Law Commission (SBLC).
“Here is someone who unlawfully and fraudulently obtained signatures to appear on the ballot. The question you and others should be asking, including the Republicans who are running side by side with him is, why are you still on the ballot?” Campbell said to hosts Jim Braude and Margery Eagan, denying their request for a debate on the platform.
“How do you run for attorney general where you are the chief law enforcement officer of the state of the commonwealth, and you just broke the law to get on the ballot?” she asked.
Walsh was originally disqualified from the ballot following the SBLC decision in June, after he and Republican Lt. Gov. candidate Anne Manning Martin were found to have had thousands of signatures on their respective voter lists that featured names from dead or other ineligible voters as well as hundreds of names in the exact same order on both of their voter lists.
“The voters of this Commonwealth are not fools. They are tired of watching incompetence preside over graft and corruption. Knowing she cannot win a free and fair election, Mrs. Campbell’s only remaining option is to complain. And complain she does, with theatrical flair,” Walsh said in a press release responding to Campbell’s comments.
“In the meantime, I renew my invitation to debate. Transparency, accountability and an honest contest of ideas are what the people of Massachusetts deserve. I am ready. The only question is whether you are,” he said.
Walsh and Manning Martin say they fell victim to an apparent signature collection fraud scheme carried out by a Republican election consultant. The issue was raised when former GOP Lt. Gov. candidate Anne Brensley – now running as a write-in candidate for Secretary of State – sounded the alarm on the apparent fraud scheme.
The Herald has requested comment from Campbell’s campaign team.
Nancy Lane/Boston Herald
AG Andrea Campbell speaks during the St. Patrick’s Day breakfast. (Nancy Lane/Boston Herald)
6th Congressional candidate Dan Koh
Democrat Dan Koh, who took home a solid victory in the packed primary race to replace the outgoing Congressman Seth Moulton, has cancelled already scheduled debates against his GOP challenger in the general election in Micah Jones.
The Koh campaign tells the Herald that after taking part in 11 debates and “hundreds” of community events, Koh is no longer going to join other candidates on stage. Jones has challenged Koh to three general election debates.
“Dan is running to fight back against Trump, defend our democracy, and lower costs for families in the Sixth. Dan has now taken part in eleven debates, including with Micah Jones, and attended hundreds of community events, because voters deserve to hear directly from the people asking for their vote,” said campaign spokesperson Olivia Brandon. “We’re going to keep doing what we’ve done from day one: meeting voters where they are, answering their questions honestly, and sharing our vision for this district.”
Koh has cancelled two debates he had already committed to, including one set for September 17 at Endicott College, the other set for September 22 and to be hosted by the Swampscott Tides, which tells the Herald the entire event has been called off due to Koh’s absence.
“My opponent, Dan Koh, has now declined two proposed debates. Dan has said he is willing to go anywhere and speak with anyone, but apparently that does not include sharing the debate stage with me,” Jones said in a post to Facebook reacting to Koh backing out.
“With this being the first time the MA-06 seat is open in nearly 50 years, voters deserve the opportunity to hear directly from both of us, understand where we differ, and make their own decision about who will best represent this district,” he said.
Sen. Ed Markey
While he has not officially accepted a debate against Republican challenger John Deaton or Communist candidate Joe Tache, Markey’s campaign team tells the Herald the senator plans on debating Deaton, with more information coming soon.
“Senator Markey always debates his opponent and looks forward to debating John Deaton soon. The campaign will release details in the coming weeks,” campaign spokesperson Jonathan Ng said.
Meanwhile, Deaton has already accepted several debate requests, including a western Massachusetts focused debate with WWLP-TV and Boston 25 News, another on WCVB-TV set for October 14, and another on WBZ-TV set for October 13.
Markey participated in three Democratic primary debates over the summer against challenger Congressman Seth Moulton, who suffered a substantial loss to Markey in the primary election. He did not, however, take part in the state’s first-ever interparty primary debate – one that Moulton and Deaton faced off in.
“When Ed Markey’s team says there will be information in the coming weeks, he wants to play the standard incumbent playbook and debate only in the middle of October – well after early voting has begun. I believe that there should be at least one debate before the first mail-in ballot is cast,” Deaton told the Herald. “Voters start receiving their ballots September 29th and we should have a debate in late September, certainly no later than early October.”
Markey, 80, has represented Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate since 2013, following a 20-term tenure as a representative for Massachusetts’s 7th congressional district.
Healey and Minogue
When it comes to Gov. Maura Healey, the Democratic incumbent is unlike the rest of the politicians listed, already having accepted two debate invitations in October.
Healey’s GOP challenger, Mike Minogue. has also accepted invitations to four debates.
However, Healey and Minogue have yet to commit to the same debate schedule, with the two campaigns telling the Herald they have yet to work things out with the other.
