Loughlin, Cicilline Wrestle Over the Issues

Loughlin, Cicilline Wrestle Over the Issues

Congressional candidates John Loughlin and David Cicilline traded jabs over guns, global warming, ethics, and taxes at a debate that aired on Channel 12 last night.

Loughlin, the Republican, accused his Democratic opponent of distorting his position on Social Security, saying he did not want to privatize it, according to a Channel 12 recap of the debate. Instead, he said younger workers should be able to divert a portion of their income into private retirement accounts. Cicilline countered that was the first step toward privatization.

On tax cuts, Loughlin said he supported them for the wealthiest earners, while Cicilline said the country “could not afford tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires” while it is trying to balance the budget.

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Loughlin also took Cicilline to task for his record as Providence mayor, noting that he had presided over a failing school system. Cicilline said schools had gotten better during his tenure.

View the debate and read the full recap from Channel 12.

The debate was co-hosted by the Providence Journal.