U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy and GOP challenger Matt Corey field reporters' questions after their Wednesday night debate at WTNH.
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris did not travel to New Haven for a head-to-head campaign debate.
I think.
But it sounded like it when two other politicians held a campaign debate televised live at WTNH’s Elm Street headquarters: two-term incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy and Republican challenger Matt Corey.
Major-party Senate candidates square off at Channel 8.
From abortion to the Middle East to immigration to inflation, you could close your eyes (and ignore the different vocal deliveries) and hear the precise positions Harris and Trump have refined for the Nov. 5 election.
It was the one chance for Corey — little-known to voters, far outgunned on cash and trailing by double digits in the polls — to have a shot at attracting attention to his uphill campaign, with tens of thousands of early ballots already cast. Two other candidates on the ballot, the Green Party’s Justin Paglino and Robert Hyde of the Cheaper Gas Groceries Party, were not included.
The fealty to their presidential candidates’ positions reflected Connecticut’s blue electorate: In purple states and swing districts, federal candidates in both parties have sought to distance themselves from some of their own party’s presidential candidate’s positions.
Corey was asked to name any ways he differs from Trump.
“There are not many ways,” Corey replied. “I have a better personality than he does.”
In a post-debate “spin room” press conference, Murphy was asked the same about him and Harris. He gave one example: He’d support a broader reform of the filibuster rather than changing it simply to deal with abortion. During his turn in the room, Corey declined to embrace (or oppose) Trump’s call for “mass deportations” of undocumented immigrants.
Murphy echoed Harris’s plan for $25,000 downpayment assistance for first-time homebuyers. He seconded attacks on Trump’s “dangerous” calls to sue the army against “enemy within” Democrats as “threats to democracy,” while Corey accused Murphy of exaggerating and attacked Democrats for characterizing Trump as a fascist.
Like Harris, Murphy blamed Trump for killing a bipartisan immigration reform bill, while Corey attacked sanctuary cities and called for increased deportations.
“I unequivocally support Prime Minister Netanyahu” of Israel, Corey said, when asked if any actions by Israel would lead him to back curbs on American aid. Like Harris, Murphy both supported Israel’s right to defend itself after the “unconscionable” Oct. 7 attacks and called for a ceasefire to begin seeking a peaceful, two-state solution. He argued that it’s possible both to defend Israel’s security “and believe that far too many people lost their lives in Gaza.”
Corey accused Murphy (and Harris) of supporting increased taxes. Murphy criticized Trump’s proposed tax cuts for favoring the wealthy, calling instead (like Harris) for targeted child tax credits and other tax relief for families lower on the economic ladder.
Women’s health and women’s rights provided the starkest contrast.
Asked about abortion, Corey, like Trump, downplayed the overturning of Roe v. Wade by Supreme Court justices appointed by Trump. Instead he spoke of the law’s flawed reasoning, arguing states should decide the issue. Murphy, like Harris, criticized Roe’s elimination and said he’d support the elimination of the filibuster to pass a law legalizing abortion.
Meanwhile Corey, like Trump, pivoted to attack Murphy (like Harris) over transgender rights. Corey supported eliminating federal funding for schools that allow transgender athletes to participate in girls’ sports. “Why should women suffer? This is women’s rights,” he said.
Murphy argued that the federal government should not decide the issue. He accused Republicans like Corey of “stoking fear” about the issue, contributing to “an epidemic of suicide and self-harm among our gay students and transgender students.”
During a debate-concluding lightning round, the candidates were asked whether they’ve used cannabis since its legalization in Connecticut.
“Not a big fan” of cannabis, Corey responded. “No.”
Murphy said he had a “similar” response.
“Not a big fan,” he said. He didn’t add “no.”