Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
Debate negotiations already underway between Warren and Deaton
Attorney John Deaton won a decisive victory in the GOP primary Tuesday. He and Sen. Elizabeth Warren appear likely to meet for at least two debates.
With lawyer John Deaton soundly defeating his two opponents in Tuesday’s Republican primary, Sen. Elizabeth Warren officially has her challenger in the general election. The two are already trading attacks, and negotiations on the number and nature of debates between them are underway.
In his victory speech, Deaton challenged Warren to five single-issue debates. They would focus on immigration, inflation and the economy, income inequality, foreign policy, and women’s reproductive rights.
“Let’s give the voters a good look and let them decide who’s better equipped to fight for women. I’m a Marine officer and a father of girls, I would protect and honor women’s reproductive rights and defend the laws of Massachusetts as it relates to abortion,” he said.
Warren, in a release Tuesday night, said she accepted two debates that would take place in October. One would take place in Boston and be sponsored by The Boston Globe and WBZ. The other would take place in Springfield and be sponsored by GBH and New England Public Media.
Advertisement:
Janice Rottenberg, Warren’s campaign manager, attacked Deaton in an accompanying statement, characterizing him as a candidate who was picked by billionaires and corporate elites.
“A small handful of crypto billionaires and corporate special interests poured more than $2 million into a super PAC to handpick their preferred Republican candidate, and now Massachusetts voters have a clear choice that could determine control of the Senate,” Rottenberg said. “We’ve accepted two general election debates in Boston and Springfield because the people of Massachusetts deserve a substantive policy conversation about abortion rights, the Supreme Court, funding for Medicare and Social Security, and other issues critical to our country’s future. We look forward to debating, and expect our Republican opponent to agree.”
Advertisement:
Deaton made a name for himself as an attorney representing cancer victims before becoming a prominent voice in cryptocurrency advocacy and litigation. He moved from Rhode Island to Massachusetts in January to challenge Warren.
While campaigning against engineer Robert Antonellis and Quincy City Council President Ian Cain, Deaton sought to portray Warren as a “hyper-partisan” who cares more about advancing a “far-left agenda” and raising her national profile than she does about the residents of Massachusetts.
Deaton garnered almost 65% of the vote in Tuesday’s primary election, compared to Antonellis’s 26% and Cain’s 9%, according to the Associated Press.
During an appearance on Fox Business Network Wednesday morning, Deaton said he decided to run against Warren after seeing a poll last year that found former Gov. Charlie Baker would handily defeat Warren if he were to run. He also drew attention to Warren’s failed 2020 presidential run, where she lost to both Sen. Bernie Sanders and President Joe Biden in Massachusetts.
“I have a radical agenda, it’s called common sense that we’re going to restore to the United States Senate,” he told host Maria Bartiromo.
Advertisement:
Deaton’s fight remains uphill, and Warren is popular both in Massachusetts and throughout the Democratic party as a whole. Before her primetime speech on the final night of the Democratic National Convention last month, Warren received a rapturous, extended standing ovation from the crowd in Chicago. A UMass Amherst poll from earlier this year found her with a 54% approval rating and a significant lead in hypothetical matchups against Deaton, Antonellis, and Cain.
“Senator Warren has a long history of standing up for ordinary Americans and winning big fights, and Bay Staters know whose side she is on. They also know a scam when they see it. John Deaton might have better luck back home in Rhode Island,” Massachusetts Democratic Party Chair Steve Kerrigan said in a statement to Politico Wednesday.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com