Democratic Rep. Ed Markey and his opponent, Republican businessman Gabriel Gomez, met for a fiery second debate, all part of a special election race for the U.S. Senate seat in Massachusetts.
The Boston Globe honed in on Markey declaring he would oppose getting rid of the home mortgage interest deduction as a method to address the nation's deficit issues.
"I'm not going in there with any preconditions," Gomez said. "I would throw everything in the bucket and discuss it."
"I do have a precondition and my precondition is that the home mortgage interest deduction is not on the table, that people should be able to rely on that promise, that they will be able to afford the home of their dreams," Markey said.
To Gomez, getting rid of the deduction would be "at the bottom of the list."
The two touched on a number of subjects within the hour, including Edward Snowden the NSA contractor who leaked confidential intelligence information.
Gomez believes Snowden should be held fully responsible for his actions.
"Is Snowden a hero or a traitor? I think it's going to be determined after we find out more facts," Gomez said to the audience. "But if his information... puts anybody at risk, he's by far not a hero. He is a traitor."
Markey agreed that Snowden should accept responsibility, but added that American citizens should not have to make a choice between privacy and security.
"We have to make sure that we have in place the privacy protections so that as law enforcement officials are looking for the guilty needle that there is not a compromise of the innocent haystack of e-mails and phone calls that all Americans are making," Markey said.
On minimum wage, both candidates support raising the pay to $10, but Gomez said the larger issue is ensuring Americans want to aim higher.
"People don't want to earn just $10," the businessman said. "They want a chance at the American Dream."
Markey said earning $10 minimum wage is a step toward the American Dream.
The third and final debate will take place next week on June 18, and the election will take place on June 25.
