BOSTON – The two candidates running for Massachusetts attorney general tussled Wednesday over issues related to gun rights, drug addiction and immigration.
Democratic incumbent Maura Healey faced off against Republican challenger James “Jay” McMahon in a half-hour televised debate hosted by WGBH. Each candidate is asking for the support of Massachusetts voters in the general election Nov. 6.
McMahon, a lifelong resident of Cape Cod, won the Republican nomination last month after beating Dan Shores of Hingham in the primary election. Healey ran unopposed.
McMahon obtained his law degree from Suffolk University and served in the Army National Guard.
Healey worked for seven years in the state Attorney General’s Office before she was elected to the top job in 2014, making her the first openly gay attorney general in the United States.
During the debate, the candidates were divided sharply on issues related to gun control. McMahon, an ardent supporter of the Second Amendment, said government gun control policies rarely reduce violence, but rather take guns out of the hands of law-abiding gun owners and sellers.
“Only legal guns get off the street,” McMahon said.
He was specifically critical of Healey’s 2016 decision to apply the state’s assault rifle ban to “copycat” firearms that operate similarly to well-known brands including the Colt AR-15 and the Kalashnikov AK-47, which were previously banned in 1998. A federal judge in April upheld Healey’s interpretation and dismissed a legal challenge.
“It’s probably pretty clear I’m not the NRA’s favorite candidate in this race,” Healey said, noting that the National Rifle Association has already sued her twice.
Beyond guns, Healey and McMahon agreed that the state needs a comprehensive approach to overcome the opioid epidemic in Massachusetts, which on average killed more than three people per day through the first half of 2018, according to state statistics.
Healey in June sued drugmaker Purdue Pharma, claiming more than 670 Massachusetts residents prescribed Purdue opioids died from related overdoses since 2009. She’s also headed a multistate investigation into drug trafficking and promotes prevention measures among middle school children.
The state’s top lawyer, however, does acknowledge that Massachusetts needs to do more to combat drug abuse.
“We’re not doing enough,” she said. “I’ve long been an advocate for better treatment.”
McMahon, who according to his website lost his eldest son to an opiate addiction, has proposed a multi-pronged approach, including greater public support for privately run long-term treatment centers and greater cooperation with federal agencies, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE. He said he would also more aggressively police drug dealers and pursue heftier sentences against those convicted.
“I would go after the drug dealers. That’s No. 1,” McMahon said. “Let’s drive these pushers – these drug purveyors – let’s drive them out of the state. … We’re fighting a war.”
A supporter of President Donald Trump’s so-called “travel ban” preventing people from several predominantly Muslim countries from entering the U.S., McMahon was critical of Healey’s many lawsuits filed against the president and the government over his policies. The Bourne lawyer opposes sanctuary-city policies, which generally limit cooperation between local agencies and federal immigration officials, and said immigrants with criminal records should be subject to prosecution.
Healey defended her opposition to the travel ban, saying some of her biggest allies in the effort included the state’s largest private-sector and nonprofit employers, which also opposed the “wrong-headed immigration policy.”
When asked about sanctuary cities, however, she was careful with her words.
“I support current laws and local, state and federal officials working together to keeping those who are dangerous to our communities off the street,” she said.
The two candidates also debated more current events, including transgender accommodations, secret court proceedings and U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, who’s been battling allegations of sexual misconduct.
“If we don’t see his name withdrawn, I think that’s a real shame,” Healey said, adding Kavanaugh lacked the decorum and temperament required to sit on the bench of the highest court.
McMahon said Americans should wait for the results of the FBI investigation before passing judgment.
“We have to wait and see where the facts take us,” he said.
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