Local politicians react to presidential debate
WASHINGTON — Local politicians are reacting to Tuesday night’s fiery presidential debate in Philadelphia between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.
The debate touched on key issues including inflation, border security, abortion, international trade, and foreign policy toward Israel and Ukraine. Monroe County Democratic County Legislator Rachel Barnhart congratulated Harris on the debate, saying the contrast between her and her opponent was huge.
Republican Congressional Rep. Claudia Tenney — who represents several local counties including Ontario, Livingston, Genesee, Wyoming, Orleans, and Yates — said Trump had another knockout debate. She said Trump’s performance on Tuesday was even better than his debate against Biden in June.
Patrick Reilly, chair of the Monroe County Republican Party, criticized the ABC moderators for being biased, saying they favored Harris.
After the debate, Trump took to his social media site Truth Social to claim he won. He shared screenshots of polls and said Harris wants to debate again because she lost.
“I thought that was my best debate ever, especially since it was three-on-one,” Trump wrote.
On the Democratic side, President Joe Biden congratulated the vice president on social media site X, saying: “America got to see tonight the leader I’ve been proud to work alongside for three and a half years. Wasn’t even close. VP Harris proved she’s the best choice to lead our nation forward. We’re not going back.”