2018 Massachusetts Gubernatorial race: debates and news coverage

OnTheIssues.org excerpts:  (click on issues for details)

Abortion     Setti Warren: Require state & local governments to allow abortion coverage.     Jay Gonzalez: Close the federal gap in funding for Planned Parenthood.

Budget & Economy     Setti Warren: Closed $40M deficit in city of Newton & maintained services.     Jay Gonzalez: Preserved important investments during Great Recession.

Civil Rights     Setti Warren: Appointed first transgender member of Newton government.     Setti Warren: Transgender military ban makes us less safe.     Jesse Gordon: Address disproportionate minority arrests & drug problems.     Jesse Gordon: Shouldn't be legal to deny housing for being transgendered.     Jesse Gordon: For Native Americans, replace paternalism with support.     Setti Warren: Make Newton a more hospitable climate for African Americans.     Jay Gonzalez: Hate and discrimination based on sexual orientation isn't OK.     Jay Gonzalez: Continue Massachusetts leadership like on marriage equality.

Corporations     Bob Massie: Ceres Reporting Initiative: socially rate pension funds.     Jesse Gordon: Nationalize banks, or break up those too-big-to-fail.     Setti Warren: Downgrading of Massachusetts bond rating is a serious thing.

Crime     Setti Warren: More parole instead of privatization of prisons.     Jay Gonzalez: Treat underlying conditions that contribute to crime.     Jay Gonzalez: Over-incarceration has terrible costs for society.     Setti Warren: Opposes federalization of police.

Drugs     Setti Warren: End mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug crimes.     Bob Massie: End mandatory minimums for low level drug offenses.     Setti Warren: Combat opioid addiction by funding treatment.     Charlie Baker: Legal marijuana sales in Massachusetts by 2020.     Bob Massie: Supports legal marijuana from local businesses.     Jay Gonzalez: Support addicts and get them on a path to recovery.     Jay Gonzalez: Ok to tweak marijuana law, but the people have spoken.

Education     Setti Warren: Make all public colleges and universities tuition-free.     Jesse Gordon: Incentives for tuition, & retroactively for college loans.     Setti Warren: Invest in new school facilities & classroom resources.     Bob Massie: Charter schools should be limited.     Jay Gonzalez: Take on big challenge of making college affordable.     Jay Gonzalez: Fierce advocate for high-quality early education.     Jay Gonzalez: Opposed expanding charter schools.

Energy & Oil     Jay Gonzalez: Make Massachusetts the first state to adopt carbon pricing.     Jesse Gordon: Supports wind, solar & alternatives; paid for with a gas tax.     Bob Massie: Ran Sustainable Solutions Lab at UMass Boston.     Setti Warren: Support use of wind, solar, & other renewable energy.     Bob Massie: Transform the state completely by pursuing renewable energy.

Environment     Jay Gonzalez: New revenue to fix our broken mass transit system.     Jay Gonzalez: Address water pollution despite Trump administration.     Bob Massie: Climate injustice is another form of social injustice.     Bob Massie: Integrate thinking: environment, transportation, & housing.     Setti Warren: Reinstate Lynn ferry service and extend the Blue Line.

Families & Children     Jesse Gordon: Provide paid family and medical leave.     Jay Gonzalez: Quality childcare and preschool from birth to age 5.

Foreign Policy     Jay Gonzalez: Recognize Syrian refugees and others in need.     Bob Massie: Fought apartheid in South Africa.

Free Trade     Jesse Gordon: Include labor & environmental standards in trade agreements.

Government Reform     Charlie Baker: Automatic voter registration via RMV and MassHealth.     Bob Massie: Organized people can beat organized money.     Jay Gonzalez: Special interests and big money have no place in elections.     Setti Warren: Supports automatic voter registration.     Jay Gonzalez: Strong campaign finance policies ensure democracy's promise.     Jesse Gordon: Reform campaign finance to stop protecting incumbents.     Jesse Gordon: Why require in-person voting? Why register? Why Tuesday?     Bob Massie: Rigged political system addressed by democratic engagement.     Setti Warren: Public records laws for open and transparent governing.     Bob Massie: Supports same-day voter registration.     Jay Gonzalez: Supports same-day voter registration.

Gun Control     Jay Gonzalez: Ban assault weapons and gun silencers.     Setti Warren: Join 18 mayors in banning assault weapons.

Health Care     Jay Gonzalez: Medicare for All, regardless of income or employment.     Setti Warren: Health care is a right; support single-payer.     Setti Warren: Accessible and affordable mental health and dental health.     Setti Warren: Move us towards single-payer healthcare.     Charlie Baker: Opposed Republican bill to eliminate ObamaCare.     Jay Gonzalez: System is fundamentally dysfunctional; we need single-payer.     Jay Gonzalez: Health insurance coverage for low-income residents.

Immigration     Charlie Baker: Revoke MA National Guard on border due to family separation.     Jay Gonzalez: No MA National Guard on border due to inhumane policies.     Setti Warren: Support sanctuary cities; oppose summary deportations.     Bob Massie: Support Safe Communities over Trump's abhorrent ICE policies.     Setti Warren: Local police shouldn't enforce immigration law.     Charlie Baker: Open to ideas from Latino advisers on sanctuary state.     Jay Gonzalez: Opposes Trump's Muslim ban.     Setti Warren: Make City Hall an immigrant sanctuary to lead sanctuary city.     Jay Gonzalez: No round-up of immigrants by National Guard.     Jay Gonzalez: Safe Communities: no Muslim registry; no state enforcement.

Jobs     Bob Massie: Supports $15 per hour minimum wage ballot question.     Setti Warren: Unions let workers fight economic inequality.     Setti Warren: $15 minimum wage and paid family leave.

Principles & Values     Setti Warren: Supports 5 out of 8 of ORMA's "People's Platform".     Bob Massie: Overcame childhood hemophilia, hepatitis, and HIV.

Tax Reform     Setti Warren: Raise taxes on wealthy; close loopholes.     Bob Massie: Supports "millionaire's tax" with 4% surcharge.     Jay Gonzalez: Supports "millionaire's tax" with 4% surcharge.     Setti Warren: Eliminate tax breaks; wealthy pay their fair share.     Jay Gonzalez: Fair Share Tax: We need additional revenue for services.     Jay Gonzalez: Tax surcharge on incomes greater than $1 million.

Technology     Charlie Baker: My job is to make sure the T works, not to ride it.     Jay Gonzalez: Accepted challenge to ride the T for 5 days.     Setti Warren: Supports MBTA extension plus high-speed East-West Rail.     Jay Gonzalez: Don't just re-arrange deck chairs on Transportation Titanic.     Setti Warren: Build cross-state rail service.     Setti Warren: Reconstruct roadways; establish innovation centers.     Setti Warren: Public transportation systems are underfunded.     Charlie Baker: Lynn ferry service wasn't worth the $700,000 operating cost.     Jay Gonzalez: High-speed rail between Springfield and Boston.

Welfare & Poverty     Jay Gonzalez: Address the affordable housing crisis.     Setti Warren: Economic inequality is the defining issue of our time.     Jay Gonzalez: Back to FDR values: good home, school, doctor, & job.

Click for quotations from other sources by: Bob Massie Massachusetts Democratic candidate for Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker Massachusetts Republican Governor Jay Gonzalez Massachusetts Democratic candidate for Governor Jesse Gordon Massachusetts Editor-in-Chief of OnTheIssues.org Setti Warren Massachusetts Democratic Gubernatorial Challenger