Senate Candidates Discuss Youth Issues With State Teens

BOSTON--Sen. John F. Kerry and Gov. William F. Weld '66 took turns answering questions from high school students on issues ranging from education to crime during yesterday's fifth senatorial debate, held at the World Trade Center.

While the 400 young voters entered Boston's World Trade Center carrying signs backing both candidates, many of the Weld stickers disappeared as the hour-long forum's conclusion neared.

Before the forum began, 47 percent of the students reportedly said they supported Kerry. Twenty-nine percent were for Weld, and 23 percent said they were undecided, according to the Associated Press.

After the hour-long discussion, 62 percent said they backed Kerry and 26 percent said they would vote for Weld. Ten percent were still undecided.

The audience's apparent bias, however, may have been a factor.

Of those with political preferences, 46 percent of the students said they consider themselves Democrats but only 20 percent said they were Republicans.

Twenty percent said they are independents, three percent Libertarians.

"Although I'm a Republican, I think that Kerry hit the issues that relate to us," said Anna Jurascheck, a senior at the Montrose School in Natick.

All questions came directly from audience members, who seemed most concerned about student loans for higher education.

Kerry criticized Congressional Republicans, saying they "want to get out of education, they want to eliminate the Department of Education."

The junior senator continued by criticizing Massachusetts, which studies say ranks in the bottom half of the nation for its number of classrooms with computers or Internet access.

Weld responded that the state's funding of education has increased under his tenure, and said school choice programs would give public schools the opportunity to "shape up or ship out."

Teens also expressed serious concern over recent outbreaks of violence in the Bay State.

As in previous debates, Weld said mandatory minimum sentences--or the death penalty for certain violent crimes--would deter criminals. Kerry instead advocated a "death by incarceration" policy.

Both candidates had words of advice for the audience.

Saying youth in the 1960s were the impetus for passage of the major civil rights an environmental protection legislation, Kerry urged the students to "recognize the power that you have."

"We need to do more than stew in our juice. We need to take our sense of right and wrong and take it to the political process," Kerry said.

Weld, a former Adams House resident, also offered personal anecdotes and urged young voters to "do the little things well."

Weld said he preferred yesterday's debate's format, rather than a standard moderator style, because it gave the chance to address specific issues raised by voters.

An exit poll of audience members asked which candidate did a better job during the debate. Seventy-two said Kerry, 19 percent Weld. Sixty-eight percent said Kerry best addressed their concerns, 24 percent said Weld and 8 percent said neither.

Recent polls by The Boston Globe suggest the race is a statistical dead heat.

--Associated Press dispatches were used to compile this story.

An exit poll of audience members asked which candidate did a better job during the debate. Seventy-two said Kerry, 19 percent Weld. Sixty-eight percent said Kerry best addressed their concerns, 24 percent said Weld and 8 percent said neither.

Recent polls by The Boston Globe suggest the race is a statistical dead heat.

--Associated Press dispatches were used to compile this story.