LIVE BLOG from the Candidates Forum

8:30pm
Good evening and welcome to the live blog from the Candidates Forum. There are two of us with laptops in the back of the hall and we'll do our best to provide a running commentary. We have a very spirited crowd on our hands tonight, and the hall is decked out in red white and blue and filled with signs supporting the various candidates (pictures coming).

First we enjoyed a terrific welcome from Major Chris Shaw of the US Marine Corps. Major Shaw is a native of Mattapan and a 1988 Boys' State grad, went on the United States Naval Academy and has a distinguished service record while serving his country all over the world, most recently in Baghdad. He is currently stationed in San Diego as a member of the JAG Corps. Major Shaw encouraged the Boys' Staters to fullfill the promise that they represent to the future of our great nation.

8:42pm
We've just heard from the Chairman of the Nationalist and Federalist parties. They outlined the platform for each of their respective parties and encouraged the citizens of Boys' State to support the candidates at the polls tomorrow morning.

In addition to the candidates listed below, we have also have several independent candidates this year. Pedro Roque and Jasiel Correia are independent candidates for US Senator, and Kyle White is running for Secretary of State. These candidates were added to the ballot and Candidates Format after collecting the required number of signatures from other Boys' Staters.

8:53pm
Independent candidate for Secratary of State Kyle White just gave his speech (all candidates are limited to 3 minutes each). He received a less than enthusiatic response, with members of both parties expressing the two parties showing support for their party candidates.

8:57pm
TJ Ball, Nationalist party candidate for Sec of State. DJ gave an enthusiastic speech and seemed to get a warm repsonse from the crowd.

9:04pm
The candidates for Lt. Governor and Governor are about to speak. The candidates from each party are running as a ticket, so it is important that they are in synch.

9:05pm
Brian McCarthy (Lt. Gov, Nationalist) is speaking and is addressing immigration, the war in Iraq, and closed with a a rather famous quote from Howard Dean (if you Google angry Howard Dean you'll probably find it).

9:06pm
In reference to the comment from "a fan", I apologize that I missed the Attorney General candidates speeches while trying to get my technology straighten out. I can tell you that all the candidates so far have done a great job, they really have come a long way in refining their ability to adress such a big group over the last few days.

We are taking pictures and video and will try to get some of it uploaded as we go along.

9:10pm
We've taken a short break from the speeches to enjoy some music from the Boys' State band.

Some pictures and video are being added as I type, they will appear below.

9:15pm
Nationalist candidate for Gov Frank Oglesby has taken the podium. The candidates for Gov and US Senator will give a short speech and talso have to answer a question which they do not know ahead of time.

Frank shared a story about his mom who was stationed in Afganistan (I'm sorry but I didn't catch which branch she serves in) and how glad he was when she came home. He is proud of her service and leadership and those traits are what will guide him if elected.

9:19pm
The Gov candidate from the Federalists Douglas Dame is at the podium. He shared his views on issues such abortion, immigration, school testing and smoking bans. He then launched in to some (clean) Chuck Norris jokes. As was referenced earlier, some candidates have found that their peers often respond to humor. Doug is doing a good job of mixed humor and serious issues and seems to be getting a great response from the crowd (will it be enough to capture voters from across the aisle remains to be seen).

9:22pm
The moderator is asking a question the candidates will answer in 2 minutes or less...what would you do, as Governor, to support cummunity service? Would you require it or give additional incentives?

Frank responded by saying it should be a choice and encouraged, and should not be a requirement.

Doug said community service builds character. He would provide incentives in the form of tax cuts to reward community service.

Pictures are being loaded...taking a while due to bandwidth limitations.

9:26pm
Pedro Roque, independent candidate for US Senator is speaking. Pedro, a naturalized US citzen, is from Portugal and stresses "opportunity for all" as the core of his campaign.

The first batch of photos is up, scroll down to just below this entry (more will be added as we go along so keep at it with the "refresh" button).

9:31pm
Jasiel Correia, the other independent for Senator has just taken the stage. He is explaining why is running...he disgreed with his party's platform and after he did not get the nomination he says his friends and supporters encourage him to run. The economy and the war in Iraq are his two key issues.

9:35pm
The question put to the independent candidates was how would you approach the issue of illegal immegration. Pedro believes a major overhaul of our current system is needed. Jasiel said that we are a nation of immigrants and that this is a complex issue. He also believes that identifying the criminal element among illegal immegrants is crucial.


9;41PM
Scott took off for a quick break to say hello to a visiting friend.

Vincent Lee from T-1, candidate for United States Senate, is speaking. He addressed issues of abortion, gay marriage, immigration. Took a fairly progressive approach on all issues. Scott's back and does this part better than I do, so I'm passing off.

Federalist candidate for US Senator Jeffry Periera is speaking about the impact that gang violence is having on our society and young people and how his life has been touched by gang violence. He is talking about an issue that is important to many of the people in the audience, and making it personal. He is also helping kids who live in areas where gang violence may not be an issue and helping them to understand more about this critical issue...learning about people from other parts of the state, other backgrounds, etc. is an important aspect of the program. Jeff got a standing ovation.

9:50pm
The question for the senatorial candidates Vincent Lee and Jeffrey Pereria is, would you support legislation that would mandate healthcare coverage for all Americans.

Vincent Lee would try to push through legislation that would make affordable healthcare available for all, but would not support a govt funded system.

Jeffrey Pereria said that the govt should step in to help people who cannot afford healthcare. He would advocate a system based on income.

We now have 34 photos posted below, with more on the way.

9:55pm
Adam Formica, Nationalist for US Senator, is on the stage. He started by thanking the audience for helping him "hear them music". He talked about how Boys's State has taught him the value of acceptance and not being afraid to be himself. He received an enthusiastic response.

10:00pm
Federalist US Senator candidate Brendan Maione-Downing is now speaking. The issue most important to him is the war in Iraq. He spoke of people who knows who have been impacted by the war, the sacafice they had had to make as families while their loved ones were deployed. He stressed how the Boys's Staters are the leaders of tomorrow.

10:05pm
The question for Adam and Brendan are answering their question: should the current system for Social Security be changed?

Adam talked about the need to support our seniors and that the govt needs to keep a program like Social Security, and would advocate for a combination of private investment and social security. He said such a system should be based on need.

Brendan said Social Security is a "sacred trust" between our govt and our country's seniors that should never be broken. He said the only way to fix Social Security is through sacrafice in the form of a tax on high income earners.

10:10pm
The candidates are leaving the stage after what was a successful forum. We will continue to add photos and video tonight and tomorrow so please check back. Thanks to everyone who followed our live blog tonight, we hope you enjoyed it!