U.S. Senate candidates Murray, Smiley discuss what they will and won’t compromise on
A little over two weeks remain for Washington voters to return their ballots, and races around the state are heating up in preparation for the final push from voters.
On Sunday, two of the candidates on the November ballot will finally have their first debate.
Incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Patty Murray and her Republican opponent Tiffany Smiley will finally take the stage at Gonzaga University at 5 p.m. to highlight their qualifications for the position that has been held by Murray for nearly 30 years.
McClatchy had the opportunity to speak with both candidates ahead of their appearance together.
Murray and Smiley couldn’t be more different on some of their stances, including reproductive-related issues, student loan relief and the economy.
Murray, for example, has been vocal about her support for reproductive rights while Smiley has recently tried to tone down her anti-abortion position. On the other hand, Smiley has also previously said that she does not support a federal ban on abortions, such as the legislation introduced by Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham from South Carolina.
Student loan relief is another big area where the two disagree. Murray, who Chairs the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, praised the Biden Administration in August for the federal loan forgiveness. Smiley, however, told McClatchy that she believes student loan forgiveness is “discriminatory and divisive.”
But both of the candidates told McClatchy they could have flexibility for certain issues.
Smiley said she would be able to work across the aisle on what she perceives as “out-of-control spending,” but not on Democrat-led legislation such as the Inflation Reduction Act. Tax cuts, especially for the middle class, are something else she said she would be able to compromise with Democrats on.
“I’m happy to work across the aisle if it delivers results,” Smiley said. “We need to make sure that these policies actually affect Washington state in a positive way.”
She also noted that she believes some of the issues that are important aren’t “Democrat or Republican, they’re American.”
Murray told McClatchy she already has a track record of working across the aisle with Republicans, such as working on the No Child Left Behind act, legislation that was later criticized for focusing too heavily on standardized tests, before being replaced altogether in 2015. As a member of the Appropriations Committee, Murray said she also compromises nearly every day with Republicans on investments in every aspect of the economy.
Each of the candidates were firm on the positions they told McClatchy they could never compromise on.
For Murray, “a woman’s right to make her own healthcare choices” is at the top of her list.
“We should never compromise on legislation and allow politicians to make that choice for her,” Murray said. “That is a principle I strongly believe in.”
Smiley, on the other hand, had different concerns that she said she would not be able to compromise on.
“When we think of something that we need to get rid of to save taxpayers money, I would say the clean crack pipe and needle program, I think we know that that doesn’t work,” Smiley said, referring to the Biden-Harris administration’s funding and support for overdose prevention and harm reduction programs. The White House and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services have previously stated that “crack pipes will not be provided in safe smoking kits under the grant program,” according to a nonpartisan fact check group.
In a new poll released Friday, conducted for the Northwest Progressive Institute, 52 percent of likely voters said they would vote for Murray. Smiley polled at 42 percent, and only 6 percent of the 782 voters polled said they were unsure who they would vote for in the Senate race.
That gap has narrowed considerably since September, when the last Crosscut-Elway poll was released. That poll showed Murray in the lead by 13 points, with 50 percent of likely voters who said they would vote for her. Only 37 percent of the 403 likely voters at the time said they would vote for Smiley, and 12 percent said they were unsure.
Washington voters have until 8 p.m. on Nov. 8 to return their ballots.
