The two candidates seeking to unseat Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey sparred during a fiery debate Tuesday night, exchanging sharp attacks on a range of issues.
Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton and Republican attorney John Deaton clashed over President Donald Trump, sanctuary policies, Israel and Markey himself, who did not attend the event.
During the debate, Moulton heavily sought to tie Deaton to President Donald Trump — who remains deeply unpopular in the blue state of Massachusetts — despite the Republican candidate’s insistence that he has never voted for the president.
“You may say you’re independent, you may say you haven’t voted for him, but you’re just going to enable his agenda,” Moulton said, arguing that sending a Republican to Washington would be a mistake for Massachusetts voters.
SETH MOULTON CLOSING GAP ON PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRAT ED MARKEY IN MASSACHUSETTS SENATE PRIMARY
In response, Deaton said Massachusetts needs someone like him to “stand up for America and working people.”
“‘F’ the Republican Party. ‘F’ the Democrat Party — they all suck.” Deaton said.
The Republican candidate also slammed Markey for skipping Tuesday’s debate, calling him “too much of a coward to be here tonight.”
Moulton defended Markey, while still urging a “new generation of leadership.”
“He’s not a coward — he’s a lifelong public servant,” Moulton said. “We should honor that service.”
DEM SENATOR, 79, DRAWS PRIMARY CHALLENGE FROM REP. SETH MOULTON
Markey, who was first elected to the U.S. House in 1976, remains popular with the state’s most progressive voters.
Moulton trails Markey in Democratic primary polling, while Deaton is widely viewed as the clear underdog in the race. The Republican previously lost to Sen. Elizabeth Warren two years ago in a Senate bid.
On immigration, the candidates offered starkly different positions during the debate.
Moulton advocated for the prosecution of ICE officials who carried out Trump’s mass deportation agenda, while Deaton said the U.S. should expand legal immigration but maintain “zero tolerance” for illegal immigration.
Deaton also rejected calls to abolish ICE, dismissing them as an election-year “slogan” akin to the push to “defund the police” in 2020.
On foreign aid, Deaton took a hardline stance, saying he would not support sending additional funding to Israel, Ukraine or other countries unless it is clearly “proven” to serve the interests of Americans and Massachusetts residents.
He also criticized Moulton, alleging the Democrat sought an endorsement from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) before later distancing himself after not receiving it.
Moulton, meanwhile, backed conditional aid to Israel, saying the U.S. should not blindly support Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He also said he returned donations from AIPAC, arguing the organization’s positions have shifted in recent years.
Massachusetts Senate candidates trade sharp attacks in fiery debate as incumbent Markey skips event 2026 IUSTITIA.BG – Investigations 2009-2025 2026-06-17 21:03:20 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law
