What to watch for in Massachusetts Senate debate between Elizabeth Warren and John Deaton
BOSTON - It's been a long, long time - 100 years - since an incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator from Massachusetts lost to a Republican. And when Sen. Elizabeth Warren and her Republican challenger, attorney John Deaton, engage in their first debate Tuesday night, October 15 from 8:30 to 9:30 on WSBK-TV 38 (co-sponsored by WBZ and the Boston Globe), it will mark twelve years since there's even been a remotely competitive race for Senate here.
Elizabeth Warren
Back in 2012, Republican Scott Brown was the incumbent after a stunning upset of Martha Coakley in a 2010 special election to fill the seat left vacant by the death of Sen. Ted Kennedy. And a little-known Harvard Law professor named Elizabeth Warren was the Democratic nominee.
Brown and Warren met in a climactic first debate on WBZ on September 20, 2012, and Warren went on to win by a comfortable margin. There's been a lot of water under the bridge since then, including a meltdown of the Massachusetts GOP and a rise to national prominence by Warren culminating in a failed bid for president in 2020.
Polls consistently show Warren with a huge lead over Deaton, a first-time candidate for office who only recently moved to Massachusetts; then again, Coakley was cruising in the polls until the final weeks of her 2012 loss to Brown. Most voters don't know who Deaton is. So as debate co-moderator and Globe political editor Victoria McGrane put it during a preview of the debate Sunday, there's pressure on Deaton to have a "breakthrough moment" of some kind.
John Deaton
What might that be? Deaton is running as a moderate Republican in the mold of former governors Bill Weld and Charlie Baker: pro-choice, and anti-Trump. But there are clear philosophical differences between the two candidates.
For instance, Deaton gained prominence for his successful handling of lawsuits contesting government regulation of the crypto industry. He has received major donations from industry figures and his candidacy is being watched nationally as a test of public acceptance of cryptocurrency.
By contrast, Warren has been a staunch critic of the crypto industry, claiming it has placed profits over "common sense rules" designed to protect consumers from fraud and curb the use of crypto by terrorists and other criminals.
Warren voted earlier this year against the bipartisan Senate border deal that would have toughened border security and sent aid to states like Massachusetts struggling with an influx of migrants from troubled countries. She claimed it was too harsh. Deaton says he would have voted for it, even though only four Republican senators did, and claims Warren's position is too ideological.
And Tuesday's debate will be an interesting tactical test as well.
A bit of local political history: in 1988, a little-known activist named Joe Malone was the GOP nominee to challenge Ted Kennedy. Right-wingers wanted him to target Kennedy with talk about his past personal scandals. Instead, Malone took the high road, impressed voters and the media with his personality and thoughtfulness, and two years after losing to Kennedy, he was elected state treasurer.
Massachusetts Republicans are desperate to develop appealing candidates who might run statewide. Will Deaton take the Malone approach and prioritize making a good first impression on the independents and right-leaning Democrats any Republican needs to win here? Or will he go scorched-earth?
Where to watch
Join us at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday on WSBK-TV38. The debate will be streamed live on CBS News Boston and the Boston Globe's website. It will also be simulcast on WBZ NewsRadio 1030. And of course, whatever you do, fill out and return your ballot or cast one on Election Day, November 5, then watch your vote count on our extensive election-night coverage on WSBK-TV38, with the CBS News providing wall-to-wall national coverage on WBZ-TV.