Crowded field for candidates
Voters want someone they can trust, one expert says
There’s been little to differentiate the 12 Democrats hoping to succeed U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas in Congress other than, perhaps, who they’ve been endorsed by, and there have been dozens of endorsements.
That could begin to change tonight, when the 3rd Congressional District hopefuls go toe-to-toe in a debate sponsored by The Sun and the Sentinel & Enterprise in partnership with Fitchburg State University and the Boston Herald. The debates will be held at the college beginning at 5 p.m.
The event will provide ample opportunities for candidates to show voters what they’re made of and outline their plans, and for voters to take a full measure of each candidate compared to their opponents, said Democratic strategist Mary Anne Marsh.
The primary is Sept. 4, one day after Labor Day.
Marsh and John Cluverius, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, agreed that candidates need to prove they are trustworthy and effective in order to set themselves apart from the rest of the pack.
“Ultimately, every voter makes their decision based on trust,” Marsh said. “You have to give voters a reason to trust you’ll do what you promise to do, and the only way to do that is to show the promises you’ve made in the past and the promises you kept if you want the voters to believe your promises you make in the future.”
Voters want to see examples from their careers, political or otherwise, where they showed they could get the job done, Marsh said.
“It’s really easy to say, ‘I have this position on X,Y or Z,’” Cluverius said. “It’s much harder to craft legislation and to be a leader on the issue as a first-term member of Congress.”
Their approach to opposing President Trump and Republican policies will come into play, Cluverius said.
“There is absolutely an energy and a latent anger among Democratic voters and the question is who that anger is directed towards and who is channeling that anger for their own benefit,” Cluverius said.
The first session of today’s debate begins at 5 p.m. and includes Barbara L’Italien, Bopha Malone, Patrick Littlefield, Juana Matias, Beej Das and Rufus Gifford. The second session at 6:15 p.m. features Keith St.John, Lori Trahan, Dan Koh, Jeff Ballinger, Leonard Golder and Alexandra Chandler.
The winner will face likely Republican candidate Rick Green.