As far as debates go this one was standard fare: There were no “oops” moments as we saw with Gov. Rick Perry during the 2012 GOP presidential debate, and there were few points of real disagreement. State Rep. Dan Winslow, former Navy SEAL Gabriel Gomez and former U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan essentially agreed on a host of issues. For example, the candidates responded pretty much the same way to a question about restrictions on guns in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook massacre: All focused on mental illness, not strict gun restrictions.
Gomez, citing concern for his four children, called for stricter background checks for those deemed mentally ill, but also stressed his support for the 2nd amendment. He said there was no need for an assault weapons ban.
Sullivan, pointing out his work for the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms in the wake of the Virginia Tech massacre, said that he had come to the conclusion that weapons bans are “completely ineffective” and that the real issue is gun violence.
Winslow, while expressing empathy for victims of gun violence, said that he was disinclined to pass laws banning them.
Where the candidates somewhat disagreed was on the issue of immigration. Winslow and Gomez said they opposed amnesty under all circumstances. Sullivan said there should be one exception: Illegal immigrants who serve in the U.S. military “in harm’s way”.
As to who won the debate, it was not clear, and finding respondents not connected to any of the three campaigns was not easy. But among the few not-yet-committed in the audience, opinion varied.
All of the candidates seemed aware that the image of the GOP suffered in the 2012 election, especially in how it is perceived by women and Latinos.
But Winslow attributed Scott Brown’s loss to Elizabeth Warren to President Obama’s spot at the top of the ticket in Massachusetts, not to the party itself.
Doug Rubin – strategist for the Massachusetts Democrat Party -- countered that the Republican brand is the problem, and he also expressed confidence that Rep. Ed Markey or Stephen Lynch could outpoll any of the GOP candidates in the special election this summer. Yet, he cautioned that the Democrats would not make the mistake of underestimating any of the GOP special Senate election contenders.
