Tufts students representing the three Massachusetts Democratic gubernatorial candidates staged a mock debate in Braker Auditorium last night, touching on a host of issues from education to their respective candidate's qualifications for the office.
Senior Mitch Robinson represented Deval Patrick, senior Emily Dix spoke on behalf of Attorney General Tom Reilly, and alum David Mitchell (A '06) defended venture capitalist Chris Gabrieli.
The debate served primarily to educate students on the central issues driving the race, Tufts Democrats president Kayt Norris said. It was geared toward both those who will vote in the upcoming election as well as those who are merely curious about the politics of the state they live in, she said.
"There's a lot of students who aren't Massachusetts residents and may not be able to vote here but are still interested in the issues that affect the state," she said. "There's also a lot of Massachusetts residents, or students who are registered in Massachusetts, that want the same thing."
Throughout the debate, the three participants continually returned to the issues of experience of the candidates and their ability to address the concerns of voters.
Robinson cast his candidate as an unlikely contender who educated himself and eventually entered the political realm after a disadvantaged childhood in poverty-stricken Chicago, and touted his focus on progressiveness and change.
"Massachusetts has a choice," he said. "It can focus on staying the course, having the old type of leadership and politics in general. Or it can make a decision for the future."
Dix spoke of Reilly's political experience, which she maintained has not alienated him from the average middle class Massachusetts resident.
"[Reilly] is the only one who has held office...he doesn't need any on-the-job training," she said. "He's also a regular guy, a guy who lives in a two family home like many of us do."
Mitchell emphasized Gabrieli's outsider's perspective, which would enable him to approach issues free from the fetters of politics, as well as the "business sense" his career has afforded him.
"[Gabrieli] has experience in the private sector," he said. "That translates, I think, into the experience you need to handle the state bureaucracy."
State spending was a crucial issue in the debate, especially after a steady decline in businesses and residents in Massachusetts over the past two years. All three representatives linked this to soaring housing costs, coupled with high taxation to maintain state spending.
Robinson noted Patrick's resistance to a tax cut, maintaining that more important than tax rates is "how we spend the taxes that we receive." Dix and Mitchell rebutted Robinson's point by arguing that voters have demanded lower income taxes, and that the current level of taxes is exacerbating the negative population trend.
Included in this drain of Massachusetts residents is a disproportionate number of well-educated citizens who hold Master's or Bachelor's degrees. Dix spoke of Reilly's plan to encourage young, qualified people to remain in the state by pouring money into the University of Massachusetts system, particularly in research.
"This will encourage the public-private partnership that's necessary to grow jobs in this economy," he said.
Similarly, Mitchell underscored the importance of developing innovative sectors of the Massachusetts economy like biotechnology, renewable energy and stem cell research, in which young graduates will have the opportunity to be on the cutting edge.
In response, Robinson noted Patrick's commitment to alternative energy sources, citing his backing of the proposed Cape Wind project, an offshore wind farm.
The Massachusetts primary election will be held on Sept. 19.
