Both candidates in the hotly contested Massachusetts Senate race made appearances at a taping of "Morning Joe" from Boston's Fenway Park on Friday morning, and both provided some high and tight fastballs for their political rivals.
Elizabeth Warren, the Democratic challenger, appeared first and criticized Sen. Scott Brown's (R-Mass.) ties to Wall Street bankers who have given generously to his campaign.
"I think this is about whose side you stand on, and you look at where the two parties are. Scott Brown received an award from Forbes for being one of Wall Street's favorite senators," Warren said. "I've been out there all this time fighting to try to give working families, middle-class families a real shot. And year after year it's getting harder."
Warren was then asked directly if she thought Brown was more responsive to the monied interests that donated to his campaign than to his constituents.
"All I can do is look at how he voted. He has voted to protect the richest and most powerful among us and he has voted against working families. That's just the voting record," Warren said.
The consumer protection advocate also used the appearance at Fenway Park to remind voters Brown had previously pushed for the Red Sox to relocate to Foxboro, Mass., and accepted donations from a New York Yankees executive.
"He's kind of got a problem," Warren said.
But Brown pushed back forcefully during his interview, saying he provided the key vote on issues like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which Warren touts as her chief accomplishment.
He also framed the election as an important check on Massachusetts's predominantly Democratic delegation, noting some of the scandals that had erupted among local politicians.
"It's literally me against the Capitol Hill and Beacon Hill machine," Brown said.
Brown added that as a centrist Republican, he could work to bridge partisan divides in Congress.
"The only reason we're getting things done is I'm there," Brown said. "We need problem solvers, we don't need rock-throwers."
Brown also admonished Democrats over excessive government spending, pointing to the nearly $1 million spent by the General Services Administration on a lavish Las Vegas conference.
"That's crushing to the fisherman," Brown said.
The incumbent senator also downplayed recent polls that have shown the race as a toss-up.
"If I believed in polls, I never would have gotten out of bed when I was 41 points down the first time around," Brown said.
