BOSTON - Joseph Kennedy III, who is hoping to succeed Representative Barney Frank in his suburban Boston district, avoided saying Thursday whether Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. had gone too far when he said that Republicans would “put y'all back in chains.â€
Mr. Kennedy, 31, a grandson of the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy and great-nephew of President John F. Kennedy, was asked at a televised debate on NECN whether Mr. Biden, who was speaking in Virginia, had exacerbated a bad situation and should apologize.
Hesitant in his response, Mr. Kennedy said that Mr. Biden had “walked his comments back a bit and clarified what he meant by that.†He then said, “It's really up to the pres idential campaigns.â€
Mr. Biden had said after his initial remark that he was referring to the Republicans' plans to repeal the Obama administration's Wall Street reforms. But since many in the audience were African-American, critics said Mr. Biden was clearly referring to slavery.
The same question was posed to the two other Democrats running for the seat held for three decades by Mr. Frank, who is retiring.
Rachel Brown, a follower of Lyndon LaRouche, did not criticize Mr. Biden either. “African-Americans definitely have a lower living standard now, compared with other parts of the country,†she said. “We need a program to put people to work, and that's the issue.â€
The third candidate, Herb Robinson, a software engineer, was more sympathetic to Mr. Biden.
“I occasionally misspeak myself, so I can understand him,†Mr. Robinson said. “I'm sure he didn't mean what that implied. What he was trying to sa y was that if Romney gets elected, all of us will be having a tougher time except for the millionaires in the top one percent.â€
The candidates will face one another in a primary on Sept. 6, a Thursday. Three Republicans will also face one another that day.
Mr. Kennedy, who has already raised $1.3 million for the race, is widely perceived as the favorite, though he hesitated on some other questions, in addition to the one on Mr. Biden.
Asked if he supported medical marijuana, he said he was still looking into it. “We have to be very careful about it to make sure we don't turn into California,†he said. Pressed, he said he would probably vote against it.
Asked if he supported physician-assisted suicide, he said he “would have to really think about that one too.â€
Ms. Brown said she opposed medical marijuana because it was intended to “destroy the minds of our population.†On physician-assisted suicide, she responded that “human life is sacred.â€
Mr. Robinson said he had publicly supported the legalization of all marijuana, medical or otherwise, as had Mr. Frank. On physician-assisted suicide, he noted that he was a libertarian and so would support it.
The candidates were also asked if it was appropriate for Congress to spend $38 million in taxpayer money for the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate. Mr. Kennedy, who is the great-nephew of Edward, pointed out that the institute was a partnership with the University of Massachusetts Boston and said it would be “a great asset for Boston and our country.â€
Mr. Robinson shrugged and said he would probably support the taxpayer funding. Ms. Brown lost track of the question.
In their closing comments, Ms. Brown went first. She said the nation needed a “complete change†in its economic policy, said she wanted a revitalized space program and said President Obama should not be the party's nominee.
Mr. Kenn edy said he had held 160 events in the district and it was clear to him that jobs and the economy were the most pressing issues. He said people wanted a fair chance to make the most of themselves, adding that he had spent his career fighting for justice. He then asked for voters' support.
Mr. Robinson said he had 30 years of experience “doing creative problem-solving for private industry,†like capital gains tax reform. He then directed viewers to his Web site.
The debate was over in a half-hour.
