Anyone walking past the WGBH-TV studio in Brighton Tuesday night would have been caught in the middle of an intense screaming match.
Supporters of Democratic Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick shouted for four more years in office, while those on the other side of the street cried that they've had enough.
Meanwhile inside the studio, a much more quiet &- but equally passionate &- battle was about to begin.
CNN Chief National Correspondent John King moderated the televised debate between Patrick, Republican candidate Charlie Baker, independent candidate Tim Cahill and Green-Rainbow Party candidate Jill Stein.
The debate covered topics ranging from illegal immigration to the Big Dig project to gun violence, and lasted about an hour.
During the debate, tension was especially evident between Cahill and Baker.
Cahill was particularly angry over Baker's campaign ads.
"You're lying about my record on TV... how are the people of Massachusetts going to trust you?" Cahill asked.
"You are the [chief financial officer] of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. You've had plenty of opportunities to inject yourself into the Commonwealth fiscal dealings over the course of that period of time, and over that period of time...you said very little, and did very little," Baker responded.
Cahill responded just as angrily.
"You're still lying, Charlie," Cahill said. "Why don't you take responsibility for what you did, instead of blaming me for what the governor did?"
Later in the debate, the Cahill-Baker tension continued when Baker was asked about pension deficits.
"People in the public sector do pay for their own pension, and not all of us are going to retire as millionaires, as you will," Cahill said.
Patrick made a point throughout the debate to highlight many of the benefits brought to Massachusetts by his administration, particularly in the area of job growth.
The governor also related some personal stories over the course of the debate, such as his meeting with a child whose mother is in Iraq and whose father is in Afghanistan, in order to showcase his emotional ties with the people of Massachusetts.
"I see those faces, so you better believe I am struggling with those decisions about what to cut," Patrick said.
Patrick also said that Baker was one of the main players in the Big Dig project, which was the most expensive highway project in the history of the U.S.
Baker responded that he had minimum participation in the Big Dig project, and that the project began 16 years prior to his involvement.
All the candidates had to be constantly cut off by King, who insisted that they were under tight time constraints.
The Massachusetts general election will be held on Nov. 2.
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