Warren and Diehl Go Head-to-Head in First Debate

Courtesy of Creative Commons

By Abigail Royle 10/21/2018

In their first televised debate, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren and her Republican challenger Geoff Diehl clashed over several issues. The live debate took place on Friday and was hosted by WBZ.

The first issue tackled character. Diehl admitted he is a former democrat, saying it was an asset but not why. He said Warren showed a lack of integrity with her claim of Native American ancestry. Warren recently released DNA results showing ancestry, but she added the test did not equal tribal membership and never impacted a hiring decision. Warren ten reminded voters how Diehl would have President Trump’s “back 100 percent of the time.”

The debate continued with the candidates’ thoughts on Saudi Arabia admitting that journalist Jamal  Khashoggi was killed in their consulate in Istanbul. Warren and Diehl agreed the death was a threat to the freedom of the press which needs to be protected. Warren went further, arguing President Trump should be doing more to address Saudi Arabia. Diehl countered Saudi Arabia was a good ally to have in the Middle East.

Later, the two candidates discussed their differing views on Question Three. Diehl argued allowing people to use whichever gendered space they identified with posed a risk to others. Warren disagreed, saying there was no evidence of something like this ever occurring. She said voting against Question Three was a form of discrimination.

Other topics addressed included tax reform, immigration, and reviewing defense money.

Warren and Diehl will face each other again in the second debate on Sunday, October 21 at 7pm.