First Congressional District of Massachusetts in the U.S. House of Representatives incumbent U.S. Rep. Richard Neal (D-MA) (Photo courtesy Richard Neal)
U.S. House of Representatives First Congressional District of Massachusetts Challenger Tahirah Amatul-Wadud. (Photo Courtesy Tahirah Amatul-Wadud)
SPRINGFIELD — A date has been set for a televised Democratic primary debate between the candidates vying for nomination in the First Congressional District of Massachusetts in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Incumbent U.S. Rep. Richard Neal (D-MA) will join challenger Tahirah Amatul-Wadud, a Springfield Attorney, on Thursday, Aug. 30 at 8 p.m. for a 30-minute forum hosted and moderated by local PBS station WGBY, in partnership with the League of Women Voters in Congressional District 1 — Springfield, Franklin County, Central Berkshires & Williamstown. The debate comes ahead of Massachusetts’ Sept. 4 primary.
WGBY’s Carrie Saldo, host of Connecting Point, will moderate the Aug. 30 exchange. Each question will be asked of each candidate. Candidates will provide 90-second responses to be followed by 30-second rebuttals. A coin toss will determine the right to select whether to respond first to the leading question. There will be one-minute closing remarks from each candidate.
Topics for the debate are expected to include local and national issues concerning citizens in the First Congressional District. They will also include selected questions from the public, which may be submitted via WGBY’s Facebook (facekbook.com/wgby) and Twitter (twitter.com/wgby) pages.
WGBY Executive Producer Tony Dunne sees public media as an ideal conduit for political discourse, especially in preparation for primary or general election.
“We’re thrilled to be able to provide this forum, where the democratic primary candidates for the First Congressional District can engage in a debate about the issues that matter most to the people in our region,” Dunne said. “This type of civic engagement is core to our mission — and is what public media does best.”
The League of Women Voters in Congressional District 1 — Springfield, Franklin County, Central Berkshires & Williamstown — partnered with WGBY on the debate. Linda Matys O’Connell, convener of the League of Women Voters/Springfield, expressed her organization’s pleasure at having played a role “in bringing the Congressional candidates together.”
“We believe it is both a privilege and an obligation for those who wish to represent us to come before the voters and engage each other in a meaningful way,” Matys O’Connell said.
WGBY General Manager Anthony V. Hayes underscored Matys O’Connell’s statements, adding: “Informing the electorate is an important part of what we do in public television. Airing political primary and general election debates are significant contributions, and we’re honored to be able to make this happen with the League of Women Voters.”
The debate will tape at noon Thursday, Aug. 30 and air/live-stream later that evening at 8 p.m. on the air and at wgby.org/connecting point. The debate will remain online for anytime viewing prior to the Sept. 4 primary.
