As the primary elections quickly approach on Sept. 12, four Democratic candidates fighting for state representative seats in Districts 68 and 69 participated in a public debate at a packed Bristol State House on Tuesday night.

District 68 candidates Laufton Ascencao and Andy Tyska and District 69 candidates Susan Donovan and Leif Nygaard answered audience-submitted questions on a wide range of topics as they attempted to win over voters before polls open next Wednesday.

Kicking off the evening’s events were Mr. Ascencao and Mr. Tyska. The son of a single mother, Mr. Ascencao was working full-time by the age of 12, just to help put food on the table.

“Even at a young age, I understood that our government didn’t care about me and didn’t care about kids like me,” he said. 

This motivated him to try to make a difference for not only himself, but for others as well, leading him to work alongside both national and local political races for former President Obama and Ms. Donovan, respectively. Now he himself is running for office for one simple reason: to fix all that is broken in the Rhode Island General Assembly. 

Mr. Tyska, on the other hand, has built his platform highlighting his deep roots within the Bristol community. For 20 years, he’s worn many hats — as a successful business owner, chairman of the Joint Finance Committee, and member of the Bristol Town Council. He’s also made it a priority to volunteer when he can; whether it’s at the Harvest Festival riding the tractor or eating lunch with seniors alone on Christmas, his involvement in community service has been extensive. 

“When it comes to Bristol and Warren I know more, I’ve seen more and I’ve done more,” he said. 

While the two candidates did agree on certain issues — including the need for safer gun ownership and combining local property taxes for the Bristol Warren Regional School District — there were differences in opinion.

Mr. Tyska supports the current pension plan; Mr. Ascencao vehemently opposes it. Mr. Ascencao feels focus should be placed on raising wages in order to support local businesses; Mr. Tyska feel energy would be better directed toward connecting them with local schools to develop the workforce right here in town.

The animosity between the two, however, reached its peak when they were asked to discuss how they would combat insider politics. 

“Businesses aren’t having their fair shake at having access to make sure we have our voices heard and make sure that insiders aren’t getting fast tracked to the State House,” Mr. Tyska said. 

After Mr. Ascencao stated he would start solving the problem by addressing the existing cultural and systematic problems in the General Assembly, Mr. Tyska fired back.

“He’s been up there for the past few years advocating this system, been up there advocating on behalf of those who are funding his campaign on their issues, issues that are national issues and know how to get in front of lobbyists, know how to spend time in their living room advocating these issues,” Mr. Tyska challenged. 

Mr. Ascencao, however, rallied back against the accusations. 

“These national organizations and national priorities that my opponent is talking about is protecting women’s rights issues; last time I checked, there were women in Bristol. It’s managing renewable energy; last time I checked, the solar industry employs people in Bristol, including myself,” he countered.

He further dismissed Mr. Tyska’s attempts to label him as a lobbyist, stating that it’s required under Rhode Island law to register as such in order to meet with representatives outside a respective district. 

“A lot of people skirt this issue; I didn’t,” Mr. Ascencao said. 

With the promise of transparency playing a role in both campaigns, the two candidates are relying on their respective successes and involvements within the Bristol and Warren communities to win over voters. 

Though the road hasn’t always been easy, Mr. Ascencao wouldn’t dream of changing the life he’s led and the work he’s put in to better society.

“Never let go of the passion of trying to improve your community,” he said.

Similarly, Mr. Tyska reiterated how his longstanding involvement in the communities serves him favorably for representing the district and enacting the change he and others want to see.

“Electing a state representative that has spent decades living and working in this community is a continued investment to the shared goals we have all worked to bring to a reality,” he said.

Donovan vs. Nygaard

While the second round of debate between Mr. Nygaard and Ms. Donovan was filled with notably less tension, the two candidates for District 69 still had significant differences in opinions at times. If the opportunity were to arise, Mr. Nygaard said he would be willing to help establish channels for legal immigrants to work and contribute to the state; Ms. Donovan favored no involvement at all. While Ms. Donovan believes that the state is already working hard to create more jobs for citizens, Mr. Nygaard argued that the focus should not be on quantity but quality of the positions available. 

Despite some altering viewpoints, both candidates did agree that imparting working requirements on welfare citizens was a slippery slope to go down and that charter schools were draining the budgets of their public school systems. 

Ultimately, the variance in political experience will play a major role in the election next week: On one hand, Mr. Nygaard has championed the ideal that government often requires new and refreshing perspectives to combat corruption. 

“There is a series of systematic problems with this state that need to be addressed, that need to be fixed in order for us to have the best possible state we can,” he stated.

Ms. Donovan, meanwhile, has called on her extensive, proven track record — citing her work in advocating for better education, affordable housing and successful campaign for paid sick days — as reason enough for her reelection in the Bristol and Portsmouth communities. 

“It’s is a place that’s given me much, and I would be proud for the opportunity to continue to serve,” she said.

The public forum was sponsored by the League of Women Voters in Rhode Island, East Bay Newspapers, Full Channel and the East Bay Chamber of Commerce. Video of the debate will be broadcast on Full Channel 17 at noon daily and at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday until the election next Wednesday.