Mostly, the 2 camps mixed without problems, though some shouting back and forth occurred. Watch video
SPRINGFIELD — Sizing up the two competing rallies staged by supporters of U.S. Sen. Scott Brown and Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren outside Symphony Hall Wednesday night, Keira O’Driscoll offered this assessment of her first political event.
“It’s very awesome,” the 11-year old Chicopee resident and Warren supporter said.
With hundreds of sign-waving loyalists jockeying for space on sidewalks, and hundreds more arriving in tour buses, the scene outside Symphony Hall seemed more like a street festival than political event.
An almost unbroken line of sign-holding, horn-blowing, slogan-chanting Warren supporters lined Court Street for several hours before her debate with the Republican incumbent, the third of four scheduled for the campaign.
While outnumbered perhaps 10 to 1, Brown supporters maintained a presence in the throng, wielding their own signs and messages that Warren is wrong for the state.
Standing along East Columbus Avenue, where squads of Warren and Brown supporters stood should-to-shoulder, Marion VanArsdell marveled at the sheer fervor displayed by both sides.
“There’s no shortage of partisanship,” said VanArsdell of Northampton, a Warren supporter who first met the candidate at a house party in 2011.
“The momentum (for Warren’s campaign) has just blown up,” she added.
For Warren supporters, the size advantage made perfect sense. ““This is a huge election. This is a huge opportunity to make history, so I think Western Massachusetts labor understands the significance of it,” said Rick Brown, president of the Pioneer Valley Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO.
Mostly, the two camps mixed without problems, though some shouting back and forth occurred. Some Brown supporters complained that Warren workers tried to block out their signs, and people on both sides were struck by the excessively vocal crowd during the debate.
“It was sickening,” said Keith Sikes, of Springfield, a political independent. “Too much cheering and booing – it was nothing like the Obama and Romney debate last week.”
In the hours leading up to the debate, supporters on both sides had plenty of opportunity to express their preferences.
Adriana Torres, 23, of Springfield, holding a Warren sign, and Carolyn Price, 69, of East Longmeadow, with a sign for Brown.
“I’m out here for Elizabeth Warren because I feel she is for the middle class. I think she’s with us,” Torres said. Standing on the traffic island near the Hall of Justice, Vern Miller, 48, of Westfield, said he cared enough about Brown’s bid to staff his phone bank in 2010.
But he wishes Brown shared more of his conservative views.”
He’s pro-choice, I’m not,” said Miller, a carpenter.
Still, Miller said, given the often liberal political reality in Massachusetts, he appreciates the conservative views Brown does hold.
“He’s definitely the lesser of two evils,” Miller said.
Outside Symphony Hall, meanwhile, the huge gathering dispersed once the debate began at 7 p.m., leaving a few small groups and large stacks of campaign signs.
An hour later, the crowd came out, buzzing with analysis.
“Great debate, raucous audience,” Holyoke School Committee member Michael J. Moriarty said. “I support Scott Brown. I thought he did a good job.”
Claire O’Brien, of Springfield, mother of four daughters, was pleased to hear Warren pledge to speak for women. “Clearly, Elizabeth Warren won,” O’Brien said.
The view was shared by Therese DiMuzio, of Boston, who said she has two daughters.
“She did great. I mean, she’s so poised. You know, being a woman, I felt she’s such an advocate for us,” DiMuzio said.
Chicopee Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette, a Warren supporter, offered a more balanced assessment.
Warren emphasized her support for women’s issues, while Brown offered lucid explanations off his tax policies, Bissonnette said.
“I thought it was a great night for democracy,” the mayor said, before adding: “If I had to score it, I’d probably say to Warren, on points.
For many Brown supporters, the next stop was Samuel’s Sports Bar on West Columbus Avenue, where the debate unfolded on more than a dozen television screens.
Compared to Symphony Hall, the reaction was less boisterous, with occasional applause as Brown parried Warren’s points or offered his own.
Sunderland resident Mark Zinan said both candidates were intelligent and well-prepared, but Brown had a stronger grasp of real-world realities.
“I’ve got a problem with professors going into politics,” Zinan said, referring to Warren’s tenure at Harvard University.
For Republicans, the gathering offered more than post-debate analysis.
“It’s gives people a chance to socialize instead of going out and knocking on doors; it’s not the usual grind,” said Tim Buckley, the state Republican party’s communication director.
Warren supporters gathered at Theodore’s Blues Booze & BBQ on Worthington Street.
The normal bar chatter was much lighter under the high-volume coming from the 10-foot-high television screen in the corner and numerous other TV’s perched above the crowd and showing Warren and Brown at podiums.
When Warren arrived, she was treated like a rock star. Supporters surrounded her as she signed autographs, shook hands and laughed in the packed bar.
Former Springfield Mayor Charles Ryan, 84, a Democrat who announced his support for Brown in September, had a front-row seat for the debate. Sitting next to Ryan in Symphony Hall was another Brown supporter, Boston Celtics legend Bob Cousy, a member of the nearby Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Cousy endorsed Brown in September on the Holy Cross campus in Worcester.
Brown mentioned Ryan and Cousy during the debate.
Staff reporter Mike Plaisance contributed to this report