SOUTH KINGSTOWN – Democratic R.I. Treasurer Seth Magaziner, Republican former Cranston Mayor Allan W. Fung and longshot independent William Gilbert repeatedly clashed over priorities, including inflation, energy, climate change and education on Monday during a lively 2nd Congressional District debate.
Hosted by the University of Rhode Island, and moderated by The Public’s Radio, The Providence Journal and URI’s student newspaper, the Good Five Cent Cigar, the hour-long forum was the first such public discussion between the candidates vying for Democratic Rep. James R. Langevin’s soon-to-be-vacated seat in the U.S. House.
On the high costs of living, Magaziner said he would support suspending the gas tax, expanding domestic energy production to increase supply, capping prescription costs and “cracking down” on price gauging on oil and pharmaceutical companies. Magaziner said cost of living is hurting Rhode Islanders.
Fung said he would support getting federal spending, which he says is the cause of the high inflation rates, under control if elected.
The candidates agreed that improving education is a priority but had different ideas on how to address it. Gilbert said he would like to see Pell Grants used for programs other than just earning a college degree.
“Why can’t it be used for a journeyman program or a journeyman electrician program,” he said. Gilbert also suggested that public education programs should be extended to include degrees in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields.
Magaziner said he would lower the interest rate on student loans, a different suggestion than the current federal student loan forgiveness program the Biden administration recently introduced. Magaziner said student loan debt is forcing individuals to take “different paths that they do not want to take.
“It’s unconscionable that the federal government is charging 6% to 7% interest on student loans,” Magaziner said. “We can reduce that burden with lower rates, allow people to stay here [in Rhode Island] and get good jobs.”
Fung would double the amount of Pell Grants that go back to schools so that students “will not have to borrow as much.” He also said the country needs to take a “hard look” at why the costs to attend colleges and universities are so high and said more federal research dollars need to be invested in colleges.
Regarding the environment and climate change, Fung said increasing forestry, including planting additional trees in urban areas, would be one method to improve the environment. He also suggested spending federal dollars to restore some areas back to their flood plains. Coastal preservation is a significant issue, particularly for Rhode Island, Fung said.
Magaziner said offshore wind could be invested into by the federal government. He added wind turbines will power 60% of the state’s electricity demand by the end of the decade.
Fung noted he would not support a national abortion ban or cut Social Security.
Also during Monday’s forum, Magaziner and Fung on multiple occasions placed blame on one another’s respective political parties for fueling partisan political divisions in the country. Magaziner has repeatedly criticized the Republican party throughout his campaign and continued that on Monday, particularly House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy, who recently visited Rhode Island to support Fung’s campaign.
“That’s why people are not believing your message,” Fung said in response to Magaziner. “My message is talking about what is on the minds of people in the district and in Rhode Island. It’s about the economic policies that you [Magaziner] have supported… that have crippled our economy.”
Fung came into Monday’s debate as the frontrunner to win Langevin’s soon-to-be-vacated seat, despite Magaziner having Langevin’s blessing, according to polling. A recent WPRI-TV/Roger Williams University poll, based on 254 likely voters surveyed, showed Fung with a 46% to 40% lead over Magaziner, with Gilbert received less than 4%. Still, Fung’s lead over Magaziner, the general treasurer, was within the poll’s 6% margin of error. About 9% of voters who responded to the poll were still undecided.
Then, a Boston Globe/Suffolk University poll released Oct. 11 showed Fung leading Magaziner by 8 percentage points, 45% to 37%, based on 422 likely voters surveyed. Fung also had the advantage in a Globe/Suffolk poll that was released in June.
(RECASTS lede, updates throughout.)
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
