The four Democratic candidates for governor will face off in a debate to be held at the Tsai Center tonight, just 12 days before the primary election.
The debate will begin with four panelists asking two questions to the candidates, according to event moderator Robert Zelnick, chairman of Boston University’s journalism department. The panelists are Anthony Everett from WCVB, Ch. 5; Emily Rooney from WGBH, Ch. 2; Joe Shortsleeve from WBZ, Ch. 4; and Joan Vennochi, from The Boston Globe.
The panelists will each ask a question to one of the candidates, who will have one minute for a response. The panelist may then ask a follow-up question, in which the candidate will have 30 seconds for a response. This process will continue for two rounds, Zelnick said.
After the journalists’ questions are exhausted, the candidates will be allowed to ask each other two questions, according to Zelnick. The candidates can follow up their questions with another question, as the panelists did in the earlier round.
The candidates are planning to raise several issues at the debate, varying from education reforms and improvements to affordable housing, according to press secretaries.
Adrian Durbin, Shannon O’Brien’s press secretary, said O’Brien would discuss education, the rising cost of health care and affordable housing. Durbin also said another issue O’Brien would press is budget reform.
“Right now, we don’t even figure out how much money we expect to have before we need to expend it,” Durbin said. “Any rational person knows you need to know how much money you have before you go shopping.”
Robert Reich’s press secretary, Dorie Clark, said Reich would focus on fixing the economic problems plaguing Boston, as well as education and affordable housing.
“We have a large 1978 camper called the “Reich Reform Express,” and we’ve been traveling to New Bedford and Fall River and the North Shore and that’s what voters are talking about,” Clark said.
Karen Grant Blackburn, Warren Tolman’s press secretary, said Tolman would be focusing on the housing crisis, health care and giving Boston back to the people at the debate.
“As a Clean Elections candidate, he’s had the benefit of traveling the state and talking to voters at commuter stations, and he walks through town centers in the middle of the day and these are what people are talking about,” Blackburn said. “They feel disengaged in government right now and feel as if they don’t have a voice in government.”
Thomas Birmingham’s press secretary, Paul Wingle, said Birmingham was planning to raise the issues of education and helping seniors afford medication.
“He’ll raise the same issues he’s been raising throughout the campaign,” Wingle said. “All the candidates say they’ll improve education; Birmingham has a record of improving our schools through education and by winning funds to attract new candidates into our school.”
While many statistics show college students usually do not factor into the majority of elections, the candidates’ press secretaries said the candidates believe it is important to get the vote out to college students.
Clark said Reich was very active in recruiting college voters, mentioning upcoming rallies at several Boston area colleges.
“Reich has been tremendously popular among college students, and over the course of the next two weeks there are a number of rallies at college campuses,” she said. “We’ll be visiting a number of area campuses to get the word out that … Reich is the better candidate for young people.”
Durbin attributed much of O’Brien’s success to the younger generation.
“She has such strong grassroots support and that includes not just people who have been involved in politics for a long time, but also young people,” Durbin said. “A number of our volunteers are college students and one of the issues she’s talked about quite a bit is higher education.”
Wingle said Birmingham was gearing up to talk to college students about “getting out the vote.”
“Well, we have a very active ‘get out the vote’ operation, and we’ve been talking to people ready to vote in Massachusetts, and we will identify to those voters who are supporting Tom Birmingham’s candidacy,” Wingle said. “To the extent that students at BU are registered to vote, they will be drawn to that system.”
Blackburn said she believed many college students would help Tolman’s fight for the position of governor.
“One of the main things that’s been working for us is a lot of college students have been attracted to our campaign,” she said. “They’re beginning to realize that they can have a voice in government and have a say. And that’s why they’re drawn to this campaign.”
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