CHICOPEE — There was no joking around during a fast-paced 30-minute debate on Wednesday between 37-year incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. Richie Neal and challenger Jeromie Whalen.
The debate, held in the 22News studio in Chicopee, was the first and only time the two took a stage together ahead of the Sept. 1 primary vote to determine who will represent the Democrats in the 1st Congressional District race.
Both candidates used the opportunity to draw a clear contrast between Neal’s nearly four decades of experience in Congress and Whalen’s argument that western Massachusetts needs a new voice in Washington.
They leave a question for voters to answer: Seniority or change?
Topics of discussion ranged from healthcare to Social Security, the role of corporate money in politics and the growing influence of democratic socialism within their party.
Neal, 77, of Springfield, defended his record, pointing to legislation he helped shape on healthcare, Social Security, pensions, trade and climate change. He also argued that Whalen’s campaign lacks specifics, saying about Whalen that, “He’s light, if not empty, on substance and very light on facts.”
Neal said he has made an impact on the lives of every person in his congressional district.
“Billions of dollars have come back to the people of western and central Massachusetts,” Neal said. “There has not been a life in central and western Massachusetts that has not had a positive impact because of the efforts that I’ve made. I’ve been here. I have fought Trump.”
Whalen, 39, a Northampton High School teacher and Belchertown native who lives in South Hadley, opened with a tongue-in-cheek jab at Neal’s lack of attendance at recent community forums, while Whalen has been in attendance.
“Thank you to the current congressman who has generously donated 30 minutes of his time,” Whalen said.
Whalen made the case for a generational change in representation, and his experience of watching Trump win twice while working as a teacher at Northampton High School.
“I had to walk into the classroom in 2016 after Trump was elected and stare my students in the face and tell them that was going to be all right,” Whalen said. “This isn’t normal.”
He accused Neal of being an “absentee congressman” and said voters deserve a new generation of leadership “free from that corporate greed.”
“We’ve normalized the do-nothing Congress and the corporatization of this entire American system,” Whalen said. “And who’s the poster child of that? It’s our current absentee congressman who is percentage-wise one of the top recipients of corporate money in all of Congress.”
Healthcare
Healthcare was consistently a sharp point of contention.
Whalen supports Medicare for All, while Neal backs expanding the Affordable Care Act and said he supports Medicare for anyone who wants it.
“We need a Medicare for All system,” Whalen said, arguing that rising insurance premiums are straining household and municipal budgets. He accused Neal of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars from healthcare and pharmaceutical interests.
Neal defended his record, saying he helped write the Affordable Care Act and that 22 million Americans gained health insurance through the law.
“I’m for Medicare for everybody who wants it,” Neal said.
Neal also pointed to his work expanding Medicaid and protecting hospitals, including Baystate Medical Center and UMass Memorial Health.
When asked how the country could move toward Medicare for All, Neal said the approach should include giving workers who like their current insurance the option to keep it while continuing to expand Medicaid and other coverage.
Whalen said he would support legislation creating a single-payer system on his first day in Congress.
Social Security
Both candidates said they would raise or eliminate the income cap on Social Security payroll taxes.
Whalen said the cap should be removed and argued that billionaires and trillionaires should contribute more to preserve the program. He also pointed to Massachusetts’ Fair Share Amendment, which imposes an additional tax on annual income above $1 million, as a model for increasing taxes on the wealthy.
Neal also said he would raise or eliminate the cap, citing his personal experience relying on Social Security survivor benefits after his parents died when he was young.
“There’s been no greater champion of Social Security in the United States Congress than I have been,” Neal said.
He pointed to his opposition to efforts by former President George W. Bush and President Donald Trump to privatize Social Security.
“Social Security is a generational guarantee and obligation that we have to each other,” Neal said. “And most importantly, it’s an earned benefit.”
Cost of living
Whalen said his campaign would work to address the cost of living through Medicare for All, expanded affordable housing, rent control, climate investment and increased taxes on the wealthy.
He also called for restoring cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
“You have to be on the ground, and you have to be hearing the stories,” Whalen said. “That’s what we incorporate into our campaign and platform.”
Neal said tariffs and international conflicts are major contributors to rising prices and criticized Whalen for what he described as a lack of specific proposals.
Neal said he grocery shops himself and sees rising prices. He cited grocery and gasoline prices as examples of the financial pressures facing families.
His answer is ending the war in Iran, for starters. “Ending the war in Iran is the most important thing we can do to bring down prices,” Neal said.
Generational gap
The debate repeatedly returned to the contrast between Neal’s tenure and Whalen’s relative lack of political experience.
Neal emphasized his work on major legislation and international issues, citing his role in negotiating the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement and his involvement in efforts involving Northern Ireland and nuclear disarmament. During these issues, he had a direct phone line to the Oval Office when presidents Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Joe Biden were in office, Neal said.
Whalen argued that his lack of congressional experience is an asset rather than a weakness.
“He’s been there for 37 years, and I’m 39 years old,” Whalen said.
He closed by saying his campaign represents a break from corporate influence and a focus on working- and middle-class residents.
“On Sept. 1, win or lose, I’m back in the classroom for my students, my community,” Whalen said. “That’s the reason why I got into this.”
Neal closed by defending his record and arguing that his experience has made him an effective advocate for the district.
“I have been an effective member of Congress. That’s not in doubt,” Neal said. “Time and again, I have been there when the people of this district needed me. I show up, I deliver for this district, and I have stood up to Donald Trump.”
Democratic socialism
Whalen, a self-professed progressive, said that he is not a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and has not been endorsed by them, although he does have DSA friends and they agree on issues of affordability.
“What we do have in common? It’s that we can’t afford things right now,” Whalen said, emphasizing the need to stand up for members of the middle class. He then pivoted, calling out Neal for taking money from Blackstone, a private equity group, and Eversource, Pfizer and AIPAC, a prominent U.S. lobbying group that advocates for policies strengthening the relationship between the United States and Israel.
Neal maintained that contributions do not dictate his policy positions.
“They buy in or they accept my agenda,” he said. “I don’t buy in and accept their agenda.”
Neal said that embracing newcomers who are Democratic Socialists is necessary for coalition building to counteract the Trump administration.
“The idea here is to build a bigger tent, and sometimes that will mean competing voices,” Neal said. “But we need to win a majority in the House of Representatives for the purposes of standing up to Donald Trump. Clearly, there are varied opinions, but there have always been various opinions in the Democratic Party for as long as I can remember.”
The winner next Tuesday will face Independents Nadia Milleron and Anthony Celata in the general election on Nov. 3.
