NEWS GLEAMS | Presidential Debate and State Gubernatorial Debate Recaps; Come Celebrate the Emerald’s 10th Anniversary
Vice President Harris and Former President Trump Face Off in First Presidential Debate
State Gubernatorial Candidates Bob Ferguson and Dave Reichert Debate
The Emerald Celebrates 10th Anniversary
Marcus Harrison Green Speaks With Isabel Wilkerson at Town Hall Seattle
Vice President Harris and Former President Trump Face Off in First Presidential Debate
The first U.S. presidential debate between Democratic candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican candidate and former President Donald Trump took place on Tuesday, Sept. 10, at 6 p.m. PDT. The 90-minute event was held at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia; it was hosted by ABC News and moderated by “World News Tonight” anchor and Managing Editor David Muir alongside ABC News Live “Prime” anchor Linsey Davis.
The evening began cordially, with Harris initiating a handshake between the two — which has not taken place in most recent presidential debates — and Trump acknowledging that the two leaders were “finally” meeting. The remainder of the evening was then focused around a number of topics important to U.S. voters, including the economy, immigration, abortion, health insurance, and wars, including the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, the war in Ukraine, and the country’s relationship with Israel.
Notably, both candidates evaded the moderators’ questions at times or answered them indirectly — starting from the first question of the night, when the moderators asked Harris whether the economy was better off now than three years ago when she took office. Instead, she used the opportunity to spell out her plans for making investments in small businesses and lowering taxes, and only spoke to the current economy. Meanwhile, Trump attacked immigrants for taking jobs from Americans.
Both candidates made a number of comments that have since gone viral. On Harris’ end, many of those comments were around her criticisms of Trump, including her invitation to viewers that they attend one of his rallies. “You will see that during the course of his rallies, he talks about fictional characters, such as Hannibal Lecter,” she said. “He’ll talk about windmills causing cancer, and what you’ll also notice is that people start leaving his rallies early out of exhaustion and boredom.”
On Trump’s end, viewers have latched onto off-the-cuff statements that, at times, seemed not to hold immediate relevance to the topic at hand. Shortly after passionately asserting that she was wrong about attendances at his rallies, he shifted into talking about alleged crimes perpetrated by immigrants coming into the country, stating, “In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs, the people that came in. They’re eating the cats. … They’re eating the pets of the people that live there, and this is what’s happening in our country, and it’s a shame.” His statements were centered around rumors of Haitian migrants eating pets, though the Springfield police and other representatives from the city have denied the allegations.
According to the rules that ABC News set for the evening, only moderators were allowed to ask questions, and each candidate had their microphones muted when it was not their turn to speak. For most questions, they were given two minutes to answer, two minutes to make their rebuttals, and an additional minute for necessary clarifications or follow-ups.
At times, the moderators had a difficult time reining the candidates in, as their voices often traveled across to the other person’s podium despite microphones being turned off; candidates were often also desperate to get in a last word, even when the moderators wished to move on. Reporting by The New York Times shows that Harris spent more of her time attacking Trump than he did attacking her. Harris also seemed to more frequently engage with Trump’s comments through body language, smiles, and facial expressions, while he tended to look ahead and avoid eye contact with her.
In closing, Trump had the last word due to a coin flip that had previously defined the candidates’ speaking order. Harris posited herself as the candidate for the future rather than the past and vowed to be a U.S. president for all people. Trump, in contrast, did not spend his closing remarks speaking to his own platform but instead questioned why Harris, in her past three-plus years in office, hadn’t already executed any of the plans that she had outlined during the evening’s debates.
State Gubernatorial Candidates Bob Ferguson and Dave Reichert Debate
Beginning at 8 p.m. PDT on Sept. 10 — shortly after the end of the presidential debate — a number of Washington State media partners hosted a debate between the two candidates for Washington State Governor: current Democratic Attorney General Bob Ferguson and Republican Dave Reichert, a former congressperson. The debate’s lead media sponsors were KING 5, KREM2, The Seattle Times, and El Sol de Yakima.
Both candidates are vying for the position currently held by Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee, who is not pursuing a fourth term and has endorsed Ferguson. At the top of the nearly hourlong debate hosted at KING 5 studios, Ferguson and Reichert were introduced with a summary of their respective backgrounds. Reichert was a U.S. representative for Washington Congressional District 8 from 2005 to 2019 and King County sheriff from 1997 to 2005. With a similarly lengthy history, Ferguson has been Washington attorney general from 2013 to present, and was a King County Councilmember from 2004 to 2013.
Heavy on the minds of both candidates were the presidential election and what they agree is the top issue in Washington State: public safety. Ferguson highlighted that Washington State ranks last in its number of law enforcement officers and that he would allot $100 million in his first budget as governor to hire more law enforcement personnel statewide. He also called for the creation of a hate crimes unit and touted his experience as attorney general in leading a criminal division that works with local prosecutors to prosecute cases they may not have the jurisdiction to bring to court.
Reichert, who said it was clear that he was the “only public safety candidate” in the race due to his experience in the Sheriff’s Office and working in Congress on the Homeland Security Committee. He also criticized Ferguson for only now being concerned about public safety, despite being the attorney general for 12 years — at a time when he said that murders have doubled and domestic violence has increased by 34%.
Ferguson also pressed Reichert to admit whether he would support former President Donald Trump for the U.S. presidency. In response, Reichert said he would be supporting neither Trump nor Vice President Kamala Harris. Reichert responded by saying, “You’re obsessed with Donald Trump. I’ve moved past that. I’m focused on the problems here in Washington State.”
Another significant issue where the candidates disagreed was around Initiative 2117, which will be on the ballot in November and is about whether to repeal or keep in place the state’s current cap-and-trade program. The program currently auctions carbon emissions to large companies and then uses the funds raised toward climate change and climate justice programs; Ferguson opposes the program being repealed, while Reichert supports its repeal.
A full recording of the debate can be seen above.
The Emerald Celebrates 10th Anniversary
On Sunday, Sept. 15, the South Seattle Emerald will celebrate 10 years of journalism for, by, and to the community. Join us at the Ethiopian Community Center (8323 Rainier Ave. S.) for food, music, speeches, dancing, and much more.
The event will be hosted by the Emerald’s Managing Editor Rosette Royale, with a keynote speech by New York Times best-selling author Ijeoma Oluo. Entertainment will also be provided by Northwest Tap Connection, Benjamin Harper, and Seattle band The Valley and the Mountain.
Doors will open at 3 p.m., performances begin at 4 p.m., and the main program starts around 4:30 p.m. DJ Dap continues the event with music and an afterparty from 7 to 9 p.m.
Those who cannot attend the party can still support the Emerald by making a one-time donation or joining our community of recurring Rainmaker donors.
The Emerald has also been pulling selected articles from our archives to spotlight contributions that exemplify our mission of amplifying the authentic narratives of South Seattle. A selection of these stories written by valued members of our community include:
“What Guatemala Taught Me About South Seattle” by Jerrell Davis, 2014
“The Life and Legacy of Michael Flowers” by Cynthia and Marcus Harrison Green, 2016
“A Bulletproof Community Spirit” by Miguel Jimenez, 2017
“Non-Violence in a Violent World” by Ijeoma Oluo, 2018
“Cecile Hansen and the Interminable Road to Justice for the Duwamish” by Judy Furlong, 2019
Marcus Harrison Green Speaks With Isabel Wilkerson at Town Hall Seattle
The Emerald’s founder and publisher, Marcus Harrison Green, is hosting a conversation with Isabel Wilkerson, Pulitzer Prize winner and author of the Warmth of Other Suns and Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, at Town Hall Seattle on Thursday, September 12. The event is a fundraiser for Homestead Community Land Trust.
Vee Hua 華婷婷 (they/them) is a writer, filmmaker, and organizer with semi-nomadic tendencies. Much of their work unifies their metaphysical interests with their belief that art can positively transform the self and society. They are the editor-in-chief of REDEFINE, a long-time member of the Seattle Arts Commission, and a film educator at the interdisciplinary community hub, Northwest Film Forum, where they previously served as executive director and played a key role in making the space more welcoming and accessible for diverse audiences. After a recent stint as the interim managing editor at South Seattle Emerald, they are moving into production on their feature film, Reckless Spirits, which is a metaphysical, multilingual POC buddy comedy. They have a master’s in Tribal Resource and Environmental Stewardship under the American Indian Studies Department at the University of Minnesota, Duluth.
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