BOSTON — With the U.S. Senate primary between incumbent Ed Markey and Rep. Joe Kennedy growing tighter, the two candidates have sharpened their attacks on each other — not least in a fiery debate Tuesday night.
Kennedy attacked early, criticizing Markey’s record on racial justice issues. He said Markey supported mass incarceration policies in a 1994 crime bill and opposed busing that integrated Boston schools.
“I don’t think racial justice is something you can cherry-pick,” Kennedy said. “Opposing busing in our school systems is not a way to break down barriers in terms of race; it’s a way to codify them.”
Markey stoutly defended his record, noting that he changed his position on busing 40 years ago, and added that when Bill Owens was running to become Boston’s first Black state senator in 1973, he was one of a handful of Democrats to support him.
Markey vowed to make racial justice a priority in all fields, including health care, criminal justice and housing.
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“We need to put housing in the suburbs at the top of this list for people who have been historically excluded,” Markey said.
The debate’s most contentious moment came when Markey said Kennedy allowed his father and twin brother, Matthew, to contribute to a super PAC running negative ads against him. Kennedy disavowed the ads.
When Markey asked Kennedy whether his father contributed to the political action committee, Kennedy replied, “I don’t know.”
Markey scoffed.
“He’s saying, ‘I have no idea if my father is running the super PAC for all these negative ads being run,'” Markey said. “Tell your father right now you don’t want money going into a super PAC that runs negative ads.”
Coronavirus response
Kennedy argued he would be a more active senator during the coronavirus pandemic, noting that Markey has missed more than half of Senate votes since the crisis began.
Markey countered that he’s fought for an array of coronavirus relief efforts, including paid sick leave, paid child leave, municipal relief and extending unemployment benefits. He argued his support of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ Medicare for All plan has become even more timely during the pandemic.
“When I stood next to Bernie in 2017 to introduce Medicare for All, Kennedy took two years to get on board,” Markey said.
But Kennedy said that unlike Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Markey isn’t actively fighting for what he said he believes in.
“Bernie Sanders is out there creating a movement,” Kennedy said.”If that’s the movement we’re building, then why not go out and fight for it?”
Markey said he fought for many progressive causes, arguing his work on the Green New Deal with Ocasio-Cortez “changed the debate on how we view this issue.”
“That is a movement that came from the grassroots of this country,” Markey said.
Over the last month, polls have shown a tightening race between the two candidates, with Kennedy’s once-large lead now within the margin of error.
The two will debate one more time on Tuesday at 7 p.m. The debate will be televised on WCVB. The primary is Sept. 1.
PEABODY, PATCH
