GOP Senate candidates face off in Taunton debate

Of the two GOP candidates who sparred with one another Thursday night in Taunton ? as prelude to the April 30 primary election for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by John Kerry ? it was state Rep. Daniel Winslow who came across as more willing to compromise for the sake of his party?s future.

Unfortunately for Winslow, the results of a straw poll following the debate showed those in attendance overwhelmingly supported the views expressed by candidate Michael J. Sullivan.

The third of the three candidates, Gabriel Gomez, opted to attend a meet-and-greet on the North Shore and did not attend the Q&A at the Holiday Inn.

Toward the end of the debate the candidates butted heads when asked if their party needed to take steps to recast their image with voters.

Winslow said the GOP?s priority should be to support ?the most electable conservative candidate we can.?

?We don?t need to rebrand ourselves, we need to be as we are and be faithful to the grand principles of opportunity, prosperity and growth,? in order to remain relevant,? he said.

Sullivan said ?we should be electing the best candidate? and proclaimed himself ?much more conservative than Dan,? especially in terms of fiscal matters.

?The Democrats are afraid to have my name on the general ballot,? Sullivan said.

Winslow raised his voice, saying if Republicans continue to turn a blind eye to shifting demographics and cultural trends, and project an image of inflexibility, they alone would be responsible for their political demise.

?We can?t afford to lose the culture wars. We have to agree to disagree on matters of freedom, faith and conscience,? Winslow said.

?We have to have an inclusionary, not exclusionary, view, and if we don?t we won?t be competitive, and it will be our own fault,? he said.

Sullivan declined an opportunity to respond.

The straw poll showed 67 votes for Sullivan, 16 for Winslow and three for the absent Gomez. Those participating in the poll paid $10 apiece.

Both candidates used this week?s Boston Marathon bombing as a backdrop for their pro-death penalty stance.

Winslow, a former district court judge, said he appreciates the inherent value in the death penalty, which he described as ?organized retribution.?

The bomber or bombers who killed three and maimed more than 150 on Monday have ?lost the right to live,? he said.

Winslow, 57, said, ?If elected I would do nothing to change that law.? He said he would leave it up to state legislators to decide if Massachusetts needs to adopt the death penalty.

Sullivan said if nominated, and if he defeats either Stephen Lynch or Ed Markey, he won?t support any ?so-called compromise bill? on Capital Hill for reforming gun laws.

The 58-year-old Sullivan stressed that background checks won?t prevent gun-related massacres like the Newtown, Conn., shootings, and insisted that the federal government should establish a means of keeping a record of anyone who has been adjudicated as mentally ill.

?Crime guns are not guns that are sold at gun shows,? Sullivan said.

He also took a tougher anti-abortion stance than Winslow. Sullivan said if the state of Mississippi closes its last abortion clinic, he would not interfere.

?It?s a state?s decision to make,? he said.

Winslow, however, said the emphasis should remain on a woman?s right to decide whether she wants to abort the pregnancy, but not to the extent of a third-trimester abortion.

Taunton City Councilman David Pottier, a Republican who supports Gomez, said he?s pleased that his party has ?three strong candidates? to offer.

Also attending the debate were Republican state representatives Shaunna O?Connell and Keiko Orrall.

Source: http://www.heraldnews.com/news/x1641166886/GOP-Senate-candidates-face-off-in-Taunton-debate?rssfeed=true

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