Eoin Gallagher

Candidates vying for Maine’s open U.S. Senate seat debated in Kresge Auditorium this past Saturday, three days before voters headed to the polls on Tuesday. The debate featured Republican nominee Demi Kouzounas, Democratic nominee David Costello and Independent Jason Cherry, three out of the four candidates running for the office.

Notably absent from the debate was incumbent independent senator and Brunswick resident, Angus King, who ultimately won the election.

The debate was hosted by Bowdoin Democrats and the Bowdoin College Conservatives. Natalie Emmerson ’27, co-leader of the Bowdoin Democrats, joined Zak Asplin ’27, leader of the Bowdoin College Conservatives, in moderating the debate. The McKeen Center and the Government and Legal Studies Department both sponsored the event.

After opening statements, candidates responded to a set of questions that were submitted by students at Bowdoin and colleges across Maine. Asplin and Emmerson worked with students in Assistant Professor of Government Ángel Saavedra Cisneros’ Campaigns and Elections course to frame the questions.

Regarding climate change, Costello praised the Biden and Mills administrations’ handling of the issue, emphasizing his support for offshore wind energy while recognizing the importance of the lobstering industry.

“Much of Maine’s lobstering, as I think most people know, happens within three miles of shore. So much of these floating wind turbines are going to be considerably out away from shore,” Costello said. “I’m a big supporter of offshore wind, and I think it’s a big part of our future.”

Meanwhile, Kouzounas raised concerns about wind power, citing evidence that shows the ocean noise from wind turbines can affect whales. She also made an argument for incentivizing other global powers, such as China and India, to reduce their emissions rather than only holding the U.S. responsible.

Candidates also discussed foreign policy, including the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza. All three candidates discussed the need to protect innocent civilians in Gaza, though Costello emphasized the culpability of the right-wing Israeli government.

“It was a horrendous terrorist attack on October 7, and at the same time, Israel, in defending itself, went way, way, way too far, and many of the actions that took place after in Gaza in particular are indefensible,” Costello said. “The fact that 42,000 Palestinians, more than half of which are probably women and children, [are dead] is unconscionable, and it hurts Israel’s security. I would argue we need to do a lot more to work with Israelis who want a credible two-state solution.”

While Kouzounas acknowledged the complexity of the situation, she argued that Iran played a central role in beginning the conflict. She said she wants peace in the region and primarily blamed Iran for the conflicts.

“Israel has now started trying to defend itself and trying to get its hostages back, which is not working very well. I agree, it’s a mess over there,” Kouzounas said. “It’s been a mess for a while. The first thing we did wrong was we appeased Iran. Iran is a bad actor and gave a lot of money to the terrorists.”

In closing statements, all three candidates had a chance to present their final message to voters. Kouzounas criticized the inflation and immigration policies under the Biden administration, while lamenting what he called a lack of bipartisanship from King.

“Senator King says he’s bipartisan. He’s an independent, but he votes 98.5 [percent with Democrats],” Kouzounas said.

Costello, on the other hand, praised King for his work with Democrats but criticized him for being “overly cautious” during his time in the Senate.

“I appreciate that Senator King caucuses with Democrats. The concern I have about Senator King is he’s been overly cautious throughout his career,” Costello said. “If we really want to get important work done … we need a Congress that is more functional. We need a government that is more accountable.”

Finally, Cherry described the lack of faith he believes many Americans have in both Republicans and Democrats.

“I’m a candidate who’s dedicated to the ideals of justice, of balance, of reasonableness, which built this country.… Send a true independent to D.C., and I will be your representative. I will listen to all sides,” Cherry said.

Attendee Larsen Van Horn ’27 felt the debate was productive to campus discussion.

“I thought both Natalie and [Zak] did an excellent job moderating,” Van Horn wrote in an email to the Orient. “Though Senator King was not able to attend, there was still a wide range of political views at the debate.”

Both moderators believed the debate helped students better understand the candidates’ policy perspectives.

“I thought it was really helpful for the more minute details on certain policy perspectives,” Asplin said. “For those students that can [vote], they have a ranked choice ballot. It’s great if they can be as informed as possible about who they are going to rank second, third and fourth.… I thought it was a productive dialogue.”