U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, and his Republican opponent Mike France on Thursday agreed on the importance of the attack submarines manufactured by Connecticut’s Electric Boat but drew larger distinctions on issues like the economy and immigration as well as the federal government’s role on certain policies.
The debate, which was hosted by WFSB-TV, The Day of New London and Connecticut College on the school’s campus, was the first between the two candidates in the rematch for the district that comprises all of eastern Connecticut and many of the state’s defense contractors. Courtney bested France by a double-digit margin in 2022.
The candidates started the night off on some common ground surrounding the Virginia-class submarines manufactured in large part by Groton-based Electric Boat and supported by suppliers in Connecticut. But they differed on what has led to the slowdown in production as the current build rate comes under threat in Congress.
The U.S. Department Defense has proposed procuring one of those submarines annually instead of the two-per-year cadence. The Pentagon has cited budget caps as well as production delays for pulling back for fiscal year 2025.
Congress confronted a similar push to eliminate a sub in 2013 with former President Barack Obama as well with former President Donald Trump’s budget proposal in 2020. Both times, lawmakers revived the build rate despite threats of cuts.
Courtney, who increased the production cadence when he first came to Congress in 2007, is hoping to once again restore it. He signaled some optimism about addressing it when Congress returns from recess after the November election and tackles longer-term legislation to fund the federal government.
“When we go back in December, we’re going to lift that cap, and I think there’ s going to be headroom and space to add that boat back … to strengthen the Virginia program,” Courtney said.
Citing his own experiences with acquisitions, France pushed back against Courtney’s argument that the pandemic was a major driver for sluggish production when the problem existed earlier. He noted that the U.S. Secretary of the Navy does not believe they will return to the normal pace until 2028.
“Two submarines per year is important, not only to the economy of the region, but to our national defense,” France said. “But what’s more important than bringing contracts is actually delivering on those contracts. For the last six years, we’ve only delivered one submarine per year on average.”
The congressman responded that there is a “generational shift” in the workforce caused by retirements and newer employees needing to learn the skills. He argued that the pandemic “aggravated those delays” but said the pace is starting to pick back up.
They also appeared to have some consensus when discussing climate change and carbon emissions, specifically on nuclear energy. France said he wanted the U.S. to not just rely on wind and solar as cleaner energy options. On a few occasions, Courtney touted the 2022 passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, which among other things, includes measures and investments related to addressing climate change.
The two sparred over a vote last year in the U.S. House on a Republican-led bill that would aim to lower energy costs but has stalled in the U.S. Senate. France criticized Courtney for voting against it along with almost all Democrats. The bill would increase domestic gas and oil production as a way to lower costs. Courtney called it a “hyper-partisan bill” that he argued would hurt the renewable energy investments from Inflation Reduction Act.
There were also deeper divisions on a number of issues throughout the hour-long debate, including what role the federal government should play in addressing them.
France, a former state representative and retired U.S. Navy officer who now works for a defense contractor, argued that the federal government should not play a role on regulating guns. He said that should be left to the states.
Courtney said he wants to see Congress address universal background checks — a measure that did not make it into the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act passed in 2022 — as well as regulating ghost guns and bump stocks.
And while the two agreed on protecting those in the LGBTQ+ community, they were split on the need for legislation that would codify sexual orientation and gender identity into workplace protections. Courtney said he wants to pass the Equality Act, while France said federal legislation was unnecessary to “protect rights that already exist.”
Courtney and France staked out their biggest differences on the economy and immigration, especially as towns like New London in the 2nd District struggle with fentanyl.
The congressman noted his visits to the U.S.-Mexico border, where he said he has discussed with border agents how fentanyl is entering the country. He noted that overdoses were down in the past couple of years.
Courtney said he would have supported the bipartisan border bill championed by U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., that was ultimately blocked in the U.S. Senate and was opposed by former President Donald Trump. France argued that the legislation would not have done enough to secure the border. He said he instead supports a border bill that was crafted by congressional Republicans.
And when asked by moderators to address the financial challenges for families despite an improving economy and low unemployment, the two sparred over what continue to be the biggest barriers.
Courtney pointed to housing, child care and the prescription drug prices as the biggest challenges for his constituents when dealing with inflation and high prices. He said he wants to build more mixed-income housing, increase block grants for child care services and lower prescription drug costs for more than just seniors over age 65.
France pushed back that those ideas do not address “the root causes of inflation.” He said the costs of diesel to transport goods and groceries continues to be the biggest burden for people and families.
The moderators specifically asked France about a since-deleted social media post last week for Breast Cancer Awareness Month that raised eyebrows. Some Democrats called it “disgusting attempt at a joke,” while Republicans defended it as a well-intended post to raise awareness about prevention.
The original post included a link to a video from an oncologist about how to perform a self-exam as well as a photo of France’s head and shoulders atop a shirtless man’s torso, holding a sign that read, “Don’t know how to check your breasts? I can help.”
France ultimately deleted the post and reshared the video link with the original art of actor Henry Golding, whom the GOP candidate said “used a little shock value to draw attention to a critical issue.”
“So I think that campaign worked,” France said at the debate. “There are people that did not appreciate that, but I think the important part is raising awareness to a very important disease and providing information.”
In response, Courtney said he would “not debate the aesthetics of that Facebook post” but cited France’s vote in 2016 against a bill before the state legislature to require insurance to cover 3D mammograms. The bill overwhelmingly passed the House. France was one of only three people to vote against it.
France once again defended his vote on that bill because of his opposition to unfunded state mandates that would have affected the towns he represented.
France and Courtney will face off in a rematch on Nov. 5. France lost to Courtney by a double-digit margin in the 2022 midterm elections. When Courtney first ran in 2006, he barely won the seat by just 83 votes and unseated a GOP incumbent. But in subsequent races, Courtney has won reelection by much wider margins.
While the 5th District on the other side of the state has gotten the most attention in the state and nationally, the 2nd District is still viewed as one of the more competitive districts in Connecticut. The state has had an all-Democrat congressional delegation since 2009.