MORAGA, Calif. — In the race for California’s Senate seat, Sen. Barbara Boxer and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina have taken numerous personal swipes at each other on the campaign trail. But in their first televised debate Wednesday night, both candidates unleashed a new round of vitriol as they sparred over who is the real “fighter” for Californians.
Boxer, a Democrat running for her fourth term, dismissed Fiorina as a greedy executive whose positions on social issues put her out of sync with the state’s voters. Fiorina fought back, insisting that the only way to get the economy on track is to retire Boxer, the state’s “bitterly partisan” incumbent.
In the debate, held at St. Mary’s College in the San Francisco area, the candidates took questions both from a panel of journalists, as well as pre-recorded questions from California voters.
Boxer didn’t waste any time in attacking Fiorina for her tenure at HP, mentioning in her opening statement that Fiorina was “terminated” as CEO and that she “shipped 30,000 jobs overseas.”
And when discussing A.B. 32, the state’s energy and environmental legislation, Boxer said the measure is essential in keeping America ahead of other countries on energy — “but I guess my opponent is kind-of used to creating jobs in China and other places,” she quipped.
For her part, Fiorina insisted that Boxer and others in Washington don’t have what it takes to get California out of the economic crisis.
“We can grow our economy again, but it means we have to fight for private-sector jobs,” she said. “And, frankly, I don’t think there are enough people in Washington who even understand why private-sector jobs are created.”
The Republican moved to paint Boxer as a political opportunist, saying she uses issues as “political footballs” and takes positions because she is “just trying to create rhetoric.”
In a year in which three incumbent senators have already lost, the first voter-submitted question for Boxer addressed exactly that anti-establishment sentiment: “You’ve been in office three terms. Why don’t you let other people try?”
Boxer answered that every election is a chance for other people to try — and that each time she’s up for reelection, voters choose her because she “fights for people.”
But Fiorina insisted Boxer has been in the Senate long enough.
“Barbara Boxer has been in Washington, D.C. for 28 long years,” Fiorina said in her opening statement. “Barbara Boxer may say she is fighting for Californians, but the truth is she’s fighting hardest for another six years in Washington, D.C.”
This article is available only to our premium digital content subscribers.
Boxer, Fiorina spar in first debate
MORAGA, Calif. — In the race for California’s Senate seat, Sen. Barbara Boxer and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina have taken numerous personal swipes at each other on the campaign trail. But in their first televised debate Wednesday night, both candidates unleashed a new round of vitriol as they sparred over who is the real “fighter” for Californians.
Boxer, a Democrat running for her fourth term, dismissed Fiorina as a greedy executive whose positions on social issues put her out of sync with the state’s voters. Fiorina fought back, insisting that the only way to get the economy on track is to retire Boxer, the state’s “bitterly partisan” incumbent.
In the debate, held at St. Mary’s College in the San Francisco area, the candidates took questions both from a panel of journalists, as well as pre-recorded questions from California voters.
Boxer didn’t waste any time in attacking Fiorina for her tenure at HP, mentioning in her opening statement that Fiorina was “terminated” as CEO and that she “shipped 30,000 jobs overseas.”
And when discussing A.B. 32, the state’s energy and environmental legislation, Boxer said the measure is essential in keeping America ahead of other countries on energy — “but I guess my opponent is kind-of used to creating jobs in China and other places,” she quipped.
For her part, Fiorina insisted that Boxer and others in Washington don’t have what it takes to get California out of the economic crisis.
“We can grow our economy again, but it means we have to fight for private-sector jobs,” she said. “And, frankly, I don’t think there are enough people in Washington who even understand why private-sector jobs are created.”
The Republican moved to paint Boxer as a political opportunist, saying she uses issues as “political footballs” and takes positions because she is “just trying to create rhetoric.”
In a year in which three incumbent senators have already lost, the first voter-submitted question for Boxer addressed exactly that anti-establishment sentiment: “You’ve been in office three terms. Why don’t you let other people try?”
Boxer answered that every election is a chance for other people to try — and that each time she’s up for reelection, voters choose her because she “fights for people.”
But Fiorina insisted Boxer has been in the Senate long enough.
“Barbara Boxer has been in Washington, D.C. for 28 long years,” Fiorina said in her opening statement. “Barbara Boxer may say she is fighting for Californians, but the truth is she’s fighting hardest for another six years in Washington, D.C.”
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MORAGA, Calif. — In the race for California’s Senate seat, Sen. Barbara Boxer and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina have taken numerous personal swipes at each other on the campaign trail. But in their first televised debate Wednesday night, both candidates unleashed a new round of vitriol as they sparred over who is the real “fighter” for Californians.
Boxer, a Democrat running for her fourth term, dismissed Fiorina as a greedy executive whose positions on social issues put her out of sync with the state’s voters. Fiorina fought back, insisting that the only way to get the economy on track is to retire Boxer, the state’s “bitterly partisan” incumbent.
In the debate, held at St. Mary’s College in the San Francisco area, the candidates took questions both from a panel of journalists, as well as pre-recorded questions from California voters.
Boxer didn’t waste any time in attacking Fiorina for her tenure at HP, mentioning in her opening statement that Fiorina was “terminated” as CEO and that she “shipped 30,000 jobs overseas.”
And when discussing A.B. 32, the state’s energy and environmental legislation, Boxer said the measure is essential in keeping America ahead of other countries on energy — “but I guess my opponent is kind-of used to creating jobs in China and other places,” she quipped.
For her part, Fiorina insisted that Boxer and others in Washington don’t have what it takes to get California out of the economic crisis.
“We can grow our economy again, but it means we have to fight for private-sector jobs,” she said. “And, frankly, I don’t think there are enough people in Washington who even understand why private-sector jobs are created.”
The Republican moved to paint Boxer as a political opportunist, saying she uses issues as “political footballs” and takes positions because she is “just trying to create rhetoric.”
In a year in which three incumbent senators have already lost, the first voter-submitted question for Boxer addressed exactly that anti-establishment sentiment: “You’ve been in office three terms. Why don’t you let other people try?”
Boxer answered that every election is a chance for other people to try — and that each time she’s up for reelection, voters choose her because she “fights for people.”
But Fiorina insisted Boxer has been in the Senate long enough.
“Barbara Boxer has been in Washington, D.C. for 28 long years,” Fiorina said in her opening statement. “Barbara Boxer may say she is fighting for Californians, but the truth is she’s fighting hardest for another six years in Washington, D.C.”
Fiorina’s major stumble came on the issue of Proposition 23, which would suspend A.B. 32. She said the focus should be on federal climate legislation, and that she had not yet taken a position on the proposition.
“If you can’t take a stand on Prop 23, I don’t know what you will take a stand on,” Boxer responded.
Talking to reporters after the debate, Fiorina sidestepped the issue, saying she would “probably” take a position on Prop 23 before November, though it’s not her main priority. She insisted the real referendum on energy legislation “is on the ballot — and her name is Sen. Barbara Boxer.”
Recent polls show Boxer and Fiorina in a statistical dead heat. A Rasmussen poll released last week found Boxer with a 1-point lead, taking 44 percent compared with Fiorina’s 43 percent.
Boxer has a major financial edge in the race: she had $11.3 million on hand at the end of June, compared with just $952,786 for Fiorina.
But in recent weeks, national Republicans have begun to see the race as a potential win for the GOP — and a crucial part of their chances at taking back the Senate this fall. The National Republican Senatorial Committee has set aside $1.75 million in the Los Angeles media market for the final week of the campaign, a move that signals their commitment to winning in California.
Fiorina has an uphill battle in a state whose voters hold some of the country’s most liberal views on social issues. In the debate, Boxer kept returning to Fiorina’s positions on issues such as abortion, while Fiorina argued that the only thing on voters’ minds this year is the economy.
“I am pro-life … I recognize that not everyone agrees with me on this,” Fiorina said. “And I recognize as well that the most important issue right now in this election is the creation of jobs and getting our government under control.”
But Boxer fired back, saying personal opposition to abortion doesn’t necessitate political opposition to it. “I respect everybody’s personal view. … I respect it; that’s why I’m pro-choice,” she said. “I let the people decide.”
In her closing argument, Fiorina avoided mentioning Boxer directly, instead focusing on the “anger, the frustration and, yes, even the fear” of California voters heading to the polls this November.
But Boxer took Fiorina on directly, saying the election provides a “clear choice” for voters — between a candidate who is “fighting” for jobs and Californians and one who “shipped jobs back to China,” is supported by “big oil and big coal” and fights only for “the wealthy few.”
This article is available only to our premium digital content subscribers.
Boxer, Fiorina spar in first debate
MORAGA, Calif. — In the race for California’s Senate seat, Sen. Barbara Boxer and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina have taken numerous personal swipes at each other on the campaign trail. But in their first televised debate Wednesday night, both candidates unleashed a new round of vitriol as they sparred over who is the real “fighter” for Californians.
Boxer, a Democrat running for her fourth term, dismissed Fiorina as a greedy executive whose positions on social issues put her out of sync with the state’s voters. Fiorina fought back, insisting that the only way to get the economy on track is to retire Boxer, the state’s “bitterly partisan” incumbent.
In the debate, held at St. Mary’s College in the San Francisco area, the candidates took questions both from a panel of journalists, as well as pre-recorded questions from California voters.
Boxer didn’t waste any time in attacking Fiorina for her tenure at HP, mentioning in her opening statement that Fiorina was “terminated” as CEO and that she “shipped 30,000 jobs overseas.”
And when discussing A.B. 32, the state’s energy and environmental legislation, Boxer said the measure is essential in keeping America ahead of other countries on energy — “but I guess my opponent is kind-of used to creating jobs in China and other places,” she quipped.
For her part, Fiorina insisted that Boxer and others in Washington don’t have what it takes to get California out of the economic crisis.
“We can grow our economy again, but it means we have to fight for private-sector jobs,” she said. “And, frankly, I don’t think there are enough people in Washington who even understand why private-sector jobs are created.”
The Republican moved to paint Boxer as a political opportunist, saying she uses issues as “political footballs” and takes positions because she is “just trying to create rhetoric.”
In a year in which three incumbent senators have already lost, the first voter-submitted question for Boxer addressed exactly that anti-establishment sentiment: “You’ve been in office three terms. Why don’t you let other people try?”
Boxer answered that every election is a chance for other people to try — and that each time she’s up for reelection, voters choose her because she “fights for people.”
But Fiorina insisted Boxer has been in the Senate long enough.
“Barbara Boxer has been in Washington, D.C. for 28 long years,” Fiorina said in her opening statement. “Barbara Boxer may say she is fighting for Californians, but the truth is she’s fighting hardest for another six years in Washington, D.C.”
