Boxer-Fiorina get personal in debate

MORAGA - In a bitter debate filled with personal attacks Wednesday night, U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer repeatedly slammed Republican rival Carly Fiorina's record as the CEO of tech giant Hewlett-Packard while Fiorina called the veteran Democrat an out-of-touch career politician indifferent to the suffering of ordinary Californians. Sacramento Bee.

The two women also staked out contrasting stands on issues such as abortion rights, the state's climate change law and gun control, with Fiorina defending positions that public opinion polls show are unpopular with many of the state's voters.

Boxer, for her part, entered the debate identified with a Democratic administration suffering from sinking approval ratings and viewed as unable to turn around crippling unemployment.

Debate Watch
Fitting for an election year of multimillion-dollar TV ad campaigns, both Republican and Democratic faithful in the San Fernando Valley were glued to large TV screens watching the debate between U.S. Senate candidates Wednesday night. Tiony Castro in the Daily News.

"It is ironic that politics in California can't get away from television - the candidates pour large amounts of money into it to get known, and we have television viewing parties when they debate," said Democratic activist Marilyn Grunwald, who attended a gathering at her party's Valley headquarters in Van Nuys.