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The two remaining Democratic candidates for Senate held their first one-on-one debate today. WNPR's Jeff Cohen reports.
At their wonkiest, political campaigns are about establishing yourself on the issues. But they're also about establishing a narrative -- yours as a candidate, and while you're at it, one for your opponent, too.
Congressman Chris Murphy and former Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz have been doing that for a while now. And at the WNPR debate he helped moderate, Ned Lamont -- himself a former Democratic Senate nominee -- said enough already. We get it. He's a Wall Street and Washington insider. She's the neophyte.
"One of the problems I've got with the campaign, is there's not that big a difference between you guys on the issues, and you're trying to turn this guy into the next Gordon Gekko and I just don't think it's sticking right now. He's an attorney from Cheshire who's devoted his life to public service. And Chris, you're saying she can't find her way to the ladies' room in Capitol Hill or something -- she doesn't have the experience you do."
And that about summed things up at the debate between the two candidates. By the time the debate neared its end, Lamont asked a simple question.
"Why you doing it?"
Here's how they answered. First Murphy.
"I was willing to put the time in to try to reestablish the partnership between people who are willing to work hard and a government that's going to go out there and make public investments to try and help them and is going to try to even some very unlevel playing fields."
Then, Bysiewicz.
"And I look at Washington and I think they're focused on all the wrong things. There's incredible dysfunction and gridlock, there's a lot of fighting amongst legislators and there's not enough getting done."
The winner of the Democratic primary will face one of two Republicans -- former wrestling executive Linda McMahon, or former Congressman Chris Shays.
For WNPR, I'm Jeff Cohen.
You can listen to the entire debate tonight at 7 p.m. on WNPR.
