Interviews with Elizabeth Warren and John Deaton – NBC Boston

Election Day is just over a week away, and while the national focus is on the presidential election, Massachusetts voters also must make a decision about who will represent them in the U.S. Senate for the next six years.

Incumbent Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Republican freshman John Deaton are both vying for votes in the Bay State and address some of the commonwealth's biggest issues in sit-down interviews with NBC10 Boston.

Areas of focus include Steward Healthcare and the closure of Carney Hospital in Dorchester and Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer.

Democrat Elizabeth Warren sits down with NBC10 Boston to talk about what's at stake in 2024 on the national stage and at home in Massachusetts as she heads into the final stages of her race against challenger John Deaton. Follow NBC10 Boston: https://instagram.com/nbc10boston https://tiktok.com/@nbc10boston https://facebook.com/NBC10Boston https://twitter.com/NBC10Boston

We asked the candidates where they differ in their approach to this crisis.

“When United Healthcare wanted to buy Steward, Senator Warren rushed and said she was against it because it was a big, bad company. Her anti-business stance is so extreme that she didn't sit back and ask, 'Who are the other buyers?' What could happen?' This deal failed,” Deaton said.

But Warren contends that this argument doesn't tell the whole story.

Amid her bid for re-election against Republican challenger John Deaton, Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren joined @Issue on Monday and compared former President Donald Trump's rally at Madison Square Garden to a Nazi rally at the same location in the 1930s.

“There was never an offer to buy the hospitals,” she said. “What United wanted to buy were the doctor's offices – the last bit of value that was left in the entire system. “But particularly in healthcare, I think we need to push these for-profit facilities out of our healthcare system.”

The two candidates also differ sharply in their stance on immigration and how to address concerns about housing migrants in Massachusetts.

“It leads to the bankruptcy of the state,” Deaton said. “We have spent over a billion dollars, we are expected to spend another billion in the future. “We are still in a state of emergency and desperately need the reform bill that Senator Warren said no to.”

“The federal government should fully reimburse states for all costs incurred by states to provide health care, education and housing for migrants in this state,” Warren said. “That should be our most important principle. Of course we also need border security.”

Republican John Deaton sits down with NBC10 Boston to talk about what's at stake on the national stage and at home in Massachusetts in 2024 as he challenges incumbent Sen. Elizabeth Warren for her U.S. Senate seat. Follow NBC10 Boston: https://instagram.com/nbc10boston https://tiktok.com/@nbc10boston https://facebook.com/NBC10Boston https://twitter.com/NBC10Boston

Addressing the housing crisis, Warren proposes a plan to tax billionaires' estates to spur development.

“You will lower the cost of housing in Massachusetts, and the federal government will work with you to build a stronger, more vibrant community,” Warren said.

“It’s not a solution – it’s not! It’s a slogan,” Deaton said. “We want builders to build, so you have to tell them the reason for building. Here are some tax credits for building low-income housing.”

These are the different visions that voters must put forward before they go to the polls on November 5th. Watch the full interviews with Warren and Deaton in the video players above.