The race between incumbent U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy (D) and restaurateur Matthew Corey (R) is the only one — other than the president and a proposed constitutional amendment — that all Connecticut voters will have on their ballot this year.
It’s the second Senate race between Murphy and Corey. In 2018, Murphy received 59% of the vote, and Corey got 39%.
During a debate on WTNH, they discussed some of the key issues facing the state and nation.
The economy
The candidates had different approaches to the economy, which constantly polls as a top issue for Americans.
Here’s Murphy's take.
“We need to take down the price gougers,” Murphy said. “These big corporations are getting away with murder. The cost of a package of chicken has gone up by 30 to 40% in part because of price collusion … We've got to put money back into the pockets of regular consumers. That means a child tax credit for families that need help. What we don't need is more tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires, as supported by Donald Trump, or a $4,000 tax increase as he's proposing due to a set of thoughtless and insane tariffs.”
Corey responded with this.
“What we need to do to bring corporations back,” Corey said. “Lowering the corporate tax rate, lowering the small business tax rate, lowering the income tax rate. We need pro-growth policies to bring back to Connecticut. We used to be in a global market here. We used to be the gateway to New England. We need to bring jobs back to this state, and with tax and spending policies coming out of Washington, that means they're completely out of touch. And this isn't taxes for millionaires and billionaires. It was proven there was more money going into the government coffers. It's the spending that needs to be cut.”
Immigration
An estimated 113,000 undocumented immigrants live in Connecticut.
Murphy has not shied away from immigration —he was the top Democrat negotiator on a bipartisan bill that would have overhauled the system.
Corey, who began his statement by stressing the importance of diverse communities, falsely claimed that the bill would have allowed 5,000 migrants to cross the border every day.
“This bill was a failure,” Corey said. “It's still catch and release is what is wrong in this country, and I'm not talking about a mass deportation, but the people that need to be eliminated from this country are the people that are committing the most heinous crimes. And because of sanctuary city status, the local police, state police can't work with ICE.”
“I just don't understand why we didn't take the chance to invest the $40 billion in the bipartisan bill in border security,” Murphy responded. “I think Republicans like to complain about the border, but don't end up ever actually proposing solutions. We had a chance to strengthen the border, but Republicans threw away that chance because they didn't want to give up their talking point.”
Abortion
Corey said he would not support a national abortion ban, and that the states should be able to decide.
Murphy said he would fight to reinstate Roe v. Wade and secure the right to an abortion across the country.
Transgender athletes
Andraya Yearwood, a transgender athlete from Connecticut, gained national attention in 2017 when she competed on a high school women’s team.
The state allows transgender kids to compete on a team that aligns with their gender identity. That was challenged in court by cisgender athletes who said they were denied awards and opportunities because of the policy.
Corey said it never should have happened.
“Why should we wipe out the achievements, the scholarship records,” Corey said. “Right here in Connecticut, how many were wiped out? How many scholarships were broken? We have women who don't even want to compete in sports because they have to compete against a male. They don't want to get hurt. They don't want to get injured.”
Murphy said he was in favor of leaving the decision up to each individual board of education.
But he said he worried about the impact on gay and transgender children who may feel ostracized by their schools for their identity.
“There are federal politicians going around pretending like the biggest problem facing this country is whether or not transgender girls get to participate in sports or not. I'm not saying that that is a legitimate issue for some communities, but they should be able to decide that for themselves instead of having the policy be set at a federal level,” Murphy said. “I really do worry about the health of our gay children, our transgender children. I do think the impact of this rhetoric is serious on them.”
Israel-Gaza conflict
Both candidates said Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas.
Murphy called for a ceasefire, citing the deaths of more than 40,000 people in the region, many of the Palestinians in Gaza. He also said the U.S. should stay out of the conflict.
“I don't think the United States should be directly involved in this conflict,” Murphy said. “We obviously have to protect our forces in the region, but ultimately, we need to work towards de-escalation so that we can stop the fighting. We can begin the process of rebuilding Gaza and Lebanon, and we can find the Palestinians a home, which is the only way to bring long-term peace to the region.”
Corey disagreed.
“I unequivocally support Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu because he is the only person today who is the leader of the free world, the face of the free world, and we are withholding information,” Corey said. “And what Senator Murphy wanted to do was pull married military assets out of there. That is a wrong move.”
Presidential election
Although the debate was for a Senate seat, the presidential race came up in almost every question.
Murphy has been a staunch supporter of Vice President Kamala Harris. Corey is supporting former President Donald Trump.
Corey, who was at the New York rally earlier this week that featured racist remarks from multiple speakers, went as far as to say he sees little difference between himself and Trump — save, he said, his “better” personality than the former president.
He was asked to address the comments made by a comedian who referred to Puerto Rico as a “floating pile of garbage.” Trump has said he doesn't know the comedian, and his campaign has said it doesn't reflect them.
“I agree with the former president, it doesn't reflect us,” Corey said. “I wasn't in the rally when that happened. I was standing in line. I didn't have the privilege to be there. But what's really at stake here is jobs and opportunity. This is what sometimes the media does and sometimes the senator does. It's diffusing from failed policies.”
He said the same social and news media reaction should come from statements made by Democrats.
“Just coming from the Democratic Party itself, looking at Trump supporters, looking at the president, calling him a dictator, comparing that rally to a Nazi rally in 1939 — the same television station that Senator Murphy is on 24/7 in Washington, DC, he hasn't condemned MSNBC for that. He hasn't,” Corey said. “So I don't know what rhetoric he's talking about, but the rhetoric coming from the Democratic Party is just as bad.”
Murphy defended a statement made by President Joe Biden during a video call earlier this week, where Biden seemingly called Trump supporters “garbage.” Biden’s camp has said it was in reference to the rhetoric, not the individuals.
“Trump has actually said that he'll be a dictator on the day that he is sworn in,” Murphy said. “He has said repeatedly that he believes that there is an enemy within America that is more dangerous than external enemies. And when asked who that enemy within is, he says Democrats.”
Watch the full debate here.
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