General election. This is under one hour. Now your moderator latoya edwards. Latoya welcome to this democratic senator primary debate. Andre the home of nbc 10, we would like to thank our guests. We will start with the incumbent, senator ed markey. He served massachusetts in the senate since 2013. Before that he served the seventh district in the house of representatives since 1976. We also welcome congressman joe kennedy. He served in 2013, and then as an assistant District Attorney. We are following social distancing guidelines during the debate. Everyone including the candidates are spread out more than six feet apart, and our panelists are not in the studio with us. They are in different coat different places in the media center. Before we get started, here are the rules for the debate. Both candidates will get one , and 45 seconds for individual questions with a 32nd rebuttal in a rapidfire round. They will have one minute for closing statements. You can join and now, use debate. Determined senator markey would get the first question. The campaign has turned ugly. Appeareddy campaign canceled after they were called on twitter by your supporters. The Campaign Said there was Cyber Bullying. I saw some tweets that were nasty. What steps have you or your campaign taken to put an end to this . Rep. Kennedy they talk about the issues they feel are important to them. For them, they wanted to tell of the list people tell all of the i was the sponsor of the Green New Deal, and that caused a revolution focused upon Climate Change in our country. We were talking about the issues, raising this concern about our planet. And my partnership with El Centro College has changed the h our country views the issues. Kennedy, you have 30 seconds to respond. Rep. Kennedy thank you. I do not think that is what happened. There were supporters of mine that were targeted. One of senator markey senatorrs tweeted markey supporters have targeted the highest profile black elected officials in the state. They have gone after my hispanic colleagues. You andnt to turn to whether you like the tactics or not. The broadway stars, after they learned the were challenging, is the issue about Cyber Bullying or lukewarm support in your campaign . Rep. Kennedy not at all. I am proud of our support. That is why i got in this race. I believe young progressives believe in change, and they know we need strong leadership to do it. It was 150,000 lives lost to covid19, a country that let george floyd died. Politicians thought they could legislate from afar. Rather than asking what they can do to reach the james. That is why i am running. To make sure we have leaders connected to our Community Every day. The sunrise , they rally to my side. They are loyal people in college, high school, middle schools rallying across the state and country. The sierra club, the human rights campaign, the lgbtq groups cited me in this race. Built aroundement progressive groups in our country. Because ofg people this climate crisis. We want to let the congressman address this one more time. Thoseennedy of course organizations have endorsed you, they endorse incumbents. Me . Know who has endorsed 60 different labor unions. Local ones who know us both and the best. They know in a fight to try to will get every family food on their plate and a roof of their head, they know i will be there champion. That is why i am in this race. The massachusetts teachers have endorsed me, 150,000 teachers. They know i side with those young people getting the education they need. State, thes in our frontline workers who need the help the most. They are backing me. We know you are passionate about this. Lets move on to my colleague. Congressman kennedy, you touched on this, you have been asked the question many times, why are you in this race . You have provided a variety of answers that are unclear to some. Why did you target the u. S. Senator who is one of the , and who is considered one of the senates most reliable progressive voters . Believenedy because i there is more to being a senator from massachusetts than the votes you cast. The 2018 election cycle, this is when republicans had the house, senate and the presidency. What else could you do . I went around the country campaigning for democrats to regain control for a progressive agenda. Talked to post around western massachusetts and dorchester and springfield and worchester. There is so much more needed at this moment than somebody who files the right bill, and says that is enough. Do you care to respond to that . Sen. Markey when i say injustice, i fight to fix it. I do not talk about change. I need to change, that has been my career. That is the Green New Deal, medicare for all, doing research, breaking up the telecommunications monopoly. It is why the District Attorney of boston cory booker your time is up. I have a question for you. You have been in a washington for more than four decades. Massachusetts incumbents do not face serious primaries. Why are you perceived vulnerable enough for joe kennedy and others to push you out . Run as aey i can only markey. My father drove a truck. I drove a truck to work my way as a commuter through Boston College. I was the first in my family to go to college. I had Student Loans i had to carry on my back the way kids today across the country have to do the same. Why reducing is horrible . Sen. Markey he has every right to run. I am running on my record of leadership, in passing big bills, making big changes in the country that are necessary. Is leading toord this incredible momentum. I am running on issues important to the people. Congressman kennedy, i will let you respond. Rep. Kennedy senator markeys record deserves examination, he opposed integration of boston public schools. He voted for mass incarceration. He voted and joined with republican immigration extremists to fight the Obama Administration to decrease immigration detention beds. Access too ban abortion. E voted for the iraq war it is part of his record. It is up for debate. When it comes to who is progressive thank you. Senator markey, i know you want to jump in. Toill give you 15 seconds respond, but we have to get to the issues. Kennedykey congressman is attacking me and we passed the same vote on the same policies. Give me a break. You took the same position. Where we differ, you voted to hollow out puerto rico, cut their education and health care and housing and programs. You took a vote that harmed puerto rico distinctly a serious way. Hold it, i see the passion and energy. We have to get to the coronavirus. We will get back to that. Lets get to whatever but cares about, the coronavirus pandemic. My colleague has a question. I am going to ask you both this question in spanish and english. Speaking spanish] it is a question on every parents mind, whether to send their child to school in september. Where do you stand on the false a master, and what is your advice for parents . [speaking spanish] i still have deep reservations about sending my kids to school. As of now, i would not do it. Our schools need more assistance, that is why i voted for in support the heroes act which includes 3 trillion of support to do things like hire more teachers, provide access to more sanitation measures and resources, to make sure we can create a safe place for our kids. Until we do, every parent will feel conflicted. Senator markey, you have 15 seconds. Sen. Markey only if it is safe, and that will be determined by science, and that is not a date you pick to send the kids back. It is the data. Donald trump, Mitch Mcconnell are blocking any help to the communities, so they do not have to lay off teachers, so they have the testing, the contact tracing, the personal protective equipment to say it is safe. Moreover, it is the law that puts the internet on the desk of every child in our country, that is my log right now, and i will dollars to billion make sure kids get better home. 12 million American Kids do not have the internet at home. That will lead to a homework app, an opportunity to get to those kids for the rest of their lives. I will lead the fight on the floor of the senate to make sure they get the funding they need for the teachers and kids. Thank you. We talked about schools for a moment. This question is regarding a letter grade, how do you rate the job congressman kennedy has done handling the coronavirus in terms of the frontline workers, economicmoney, and stability . Sen. Markey the congressman has worked hard for his constituents, and i have worked hard to my constituents. I thought successfully to add a program for 250 billion in order to make sure there would gig workersor the in our state. We have a quarter million gig workers who would get no Unemployment Insurance whatsoever. I make sure we would have 150 billion for the state hospitals. Warrend with elizabeth to add 300 million for Disaster Relief for the fisherman in our state. On issue after issue i have stood up and fought and delivered for massachusetts in the coronavirus packages so far, and my job on the senate floor in an epic battle with Mitch Mcconnell and republicans over the next few weeks to make sure Additional Health goes in, and the Health Care Help is there for everyone. You did not give a grade. How do you rate this job senator markey has done for his constituents . Rep. Kennedy i think he has been fighting as well, i do not doubt his concern for our constituents. We have seen the enormous impact this has had. Coronavirus,of the isis spend of my political campaign. We knew the need was so great to try to provide meals and additional resources. There the senator didnt. I think senator has worked very hard for his constituents, but the reason why we have been able to deliver more for our communities is because we have democrats in control of the house of representatives. That enabled us to set the framework of this debate because Mitch Mcconnell and donald trump knew they had to go through major policy and house democrats. I was out there campaigning to make sure we could flip that house last cycle. Senator markey literally went nowhere. This matters because if you believe in the change that we need, you have to go out there and fight for it. We want to turn to the topic of Police Reform and social justice. Both of you have gone on the record to say black lives matter. Lets look at your actions. Give us specifics at what you have done and what you will do to show that back lives matter. First to you, senator markey. Sen. Markey thank you. Back when i was a state legislator, there was no black senate seat in massachusetts. I had to make a decision to take on the Democratic State leadership to make sure there was a black senate seat, and i did. And it hurt my career, but that is why bill owens, who became the first black state senator from massachusetts, is endorsing who led thes bunty, effort in the house of representatives. That was a tough fight. I worked to repeal qualified immunity that Police Officers receive even if they have wronged an individual. Have ine that we boston. Forof income goes to paying transportation costs, so on each and every one of those issues, and partnering with cory booker, i am the only cosponsor to overhaul the criminal Justice System in our country. Lets bring in congressman kennedy. Same question for you. Give us specifics on what you have done and what you will do to show that black lives matter. Askedennedy when i was to give response to Donald Trumps national platform, i was legislators tot declare that black lives matter. I was one of the founding mortality the black caucus in washington. I have voted for legislation likely george floyd policing and justice act, the bill that set the framework for the beginning of this work. Ive authored legislation with Hakeem Jeffries to make it easier to hold Police Officers accountable. I have worked handinhand with a family from massachusetts that knows this pain directly, dj henry family. They have become dear friends because of the work i have done with them after their son was senselessly murdered by a Police Officer in westchester county, new york nearly 10 years ago. Thank you. I want to push back a little bit. Lets get real for a moment. There are black lives matter supporters, black and brown people watching right now, who are looking and saying, in this time of social justice, representation, optics matter. You clearly have laid out your records, but they see two white men vying for the u. S. Senate seat to represent massachusetts. Some may ask, you dont understand the worry that your husbands may not return home each and every day. You dont understand the worry that your daughter may be the next breonna taylor, shot dead inside her own home. You dont understand the worry about killings that are not being solved right now. Why is your voice the right voice in this moment . What do you say in the community what do you say to that community . Sen. Markey we are at a moment when justice is needed. The soul of our country is on fire. We need justice for black and brown families. We need criminal justice overhaul. We need to overhaul our police system. We need Environmental Justice, educational justice, Health Care Justice. That the things are there for the essential workers. I have to jump in to keep with time. Congressman, we will give you the same time. Rep. Kennedy those concerns are right. First, experience matters. Men,e two privileged white and i am certainly extreme he privileged. The question is, how over the course of our campaigns can we demonstrate the fact that we can acknowledge our difference and fight to make sure that those voices are heard . In the words of my colleague ayanna pressley, that those closest to the pain have a seat at the table to inform that policy . Sorry, we aren, over time. I know you are both so passionate. We are going to continue the conversation, but expound on it a bit with my colleague. He has a question on Police Reform for congressman kennedy. Thank you. You just mentioned congressman jeffries and the bill he put forward. He put that bill forward in 2016, months after eric gartners death. Similar bills introduced in 2018 and 2019. Congressman, you did not cosponsor any of those bills until last month. What do you see now that you didnt see when gartner was choked and killed by police five years ago . It isedy is a bill a bill that lowers the standards for civil rights abuses, which is a different issue, but i stand by my record when it comes to holding Police Officers accountable. I worked with the henry family try to make sure there was justice for dj after he was killed in a Police Involved shooting by a Police Officer, excuse me, in new york. My work on terminal justice for ,s. Work i have been proud of and as well, the fact that i have been able to be endorsed by folks like tundras men john lewis, who served 25 years with senator markey. Senator markey, i want to give you the opportunity to weigh in on this. Sen. Markey we need fundamental criminal justice overhaul. That is why cory booker and i have introduced to do next step act. That changes prison sentencing, how we treat prisoners. Congressman kennedy actually voted to send military weapons to the streets of our country, to the police and our country. Now he says he doesnt take that position any longer. , is thaterspective conviction or is it political convenience . Senator, i want to read you a quote. You might be known for some things time in office, Racial Justice and promote justice is not one of them. Is not one of them. Your opponent said that. You opposed busing to desegregate boston public schools. Would you say you are proud of your record on regional and criminal justice . Sen. Markey i am very proud of my record. Why the mayor of lawrence has endorsed me in this race. Original black state senator from massachusetts , i stood up and risked my career in order to back him in that effort to have it black senate seat in massachusetts. And today, on the fight to repeal qualified immunity, which is something i am leading with Elizabeth Warren in the senate in order to make sure we give justice to families in our country. But we also have to overhaul the sentencing guidelines for crack cocaine versus powdered cocaine. Thank you. That is your time. Congressman, i can see you are raising your hand to respond. Rep. Kennedy a couple of things. Inator markeys attack on me this one, senator markey voted to create the program he now criticizes me providing voting. Es me for the bottom line is senator markey saying he was advocating for the first africanamerican state senator. He was advocating to continue to keep against the busing of boston public schools. Incarceration,ss and still has yet to apologize for that vote. Congressman, thank you. Sen. Markey i just have to say, i did not vote to militarize the streets of the country. I did not. It did not happen. Latoyia thank you very much for your passion on this topic. Theres a question from a viewer uncommitted justice reform. Ask them what they plan to do about the defund the police movement. Do you support Defunding PoliceApartments Police departments . Sen. Markey i believe it is absolutely imperative that we reimagine what we are doing in our country. We need more money for health care, for education. To heal our money country and not imprison our country. We are 5 of the world population, and we have 1 4 of all the prisoners in the world imprisoned in the United States. One and three women in the world are b