NEEDHAM, Mass. â€" At the first Democratic debate in the special election to replace John Kerry in the United States Senate, Representatives Stephen Lynch and Edward Markey took entirely different approaches Wednesday night as they introduced themselves to Massachusetts voters.
Mr. Lynch cast himself as the defender of the little guy and painted Mr. Markey as the defender of big banks, big telecommunications companies and trade treaties that shipped jobs overseas.
At one point, Mr. Lynch accused Mr. Markey of supporting the Wall Street bailout for banks but voting against the interest of taxpayers in the debt limit crisis. (Mr. Markey said his votes prevented an even worse economic calamity.)
Mr. Markey was less confrontational and instead emphasized his steadfast support for issues that are important to many Democratic activists here: gun control, abortion rights and President Obama’s health care law. And he repeatedly invoked the name of former Senator Edward M. Kennedy.
When given the chance to question Mr. Lynch, Mr. Markey threw him a softball, praising his work for veterans and allowing Mr. Lynch to note that he had helped prevent the closing of three veterans’ hospitals.
The candidates have little time in which to make an impression on voters, who, polls suggest, have not tuned in to the campaign. A recent poll by WBUR, the National Public Radio affiliate, also said that while Mr. Markey was ahead of Mr. Lynch, voters had a more favorable view of Mr. Lynch.
The Democratic debate was the second part of a doubleheader here at the studios of WCVB-TV, following a debate by the three Republican candidates. Each debate lasted 30 minutes.
The party primaries are on April 30, and the winners of each will face off on June 25.
The Republicans â€" Michael Sullivan, a former United States attorney; state Representative Dan Winslow; and Gabriel Gomez, a businessman and former Navy SEAL â€" were meeting for the second time and found it more difficult to distinguish themselves from one another.
In a display of what it means to be a Republican in deep blue Massachusetts, they all spoke favorably of same-sex marriage and supported overturning the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as between one man and one woman. The act was the subject of arguments Wednesday before the Supreme Court.
But they also all spoke against the Obama health care law, which is popular here, suggesting that there may be more leeway for Massachusetts Republicans to side with their national party on fiscal issues than on social issues.
One of the striking differences between the Republican and Democratic debates was that the Democrats are both in Congress and have voting records to defend on the big issues of the day. None of the Republicans has served in Washington before â€" Mr. Gomez is a newcomer to politics altogether â€" and do not have votes that can be used against them or that can help define them.
Mr. Sullivan sought to underscore Mr. Gomez’s lack of political or government experience, grilling him at one point about his history with managing budgets and making cuts.
Mr. Gomez said he had sat on the board of a large company that was responsible for managing a budget of $3 billion. But he indicated that he thought his life experience was more valuable. “People don’t want someone who’s been in politics for a good part of their life,†he said. “I’ve got leadership experience, and I’ve been effective my whole life.â€
Among the five candidates, there seemed to be three positions on abortion, without regard to party. Mr. Markey and Mr. Winslow said they supported abortion rights without qualification. Mr. Lynch and Mr. Gomez called themselves “pro-life†but said they believed Roe v. Wade was settled law. Mr. Sullivan called himself “pro-life†without qualification.
