--- title: Democratic Debate: How Lincoln Chafee Justified A Vote description: Former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee blamed being new on the job and dealing with his dad's death for a vote he now regrets. canonical: https://time.com/4072630/heres-how-lincoln-chafee-justified-a-vote-he-regrets/ author: Maya Rhodan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-10-14T02:35:22.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-05T08:32:19.100Z article:section: Politics og:title: Here's How Lincoln Chafee Justified A Vote He Regrets og:description: He said his dad had just died. og:url: https://time.com/4072630/heres-how-lincoln-chafee-justified-a-vote-he-regrets/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd497ac1c134aec39/698868300b72e39a966e64f5/a831b09e53aa4e4b83eb0032811f7fd6-0.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1701 og:image:height: 957 og:image:alt: DEM 2016 Debate og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Here's How Lincoln Chafee Justified A Vote He Regrets twitter:description: He said his dad had just died. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd497ac1c134aec39/698868300b72e39a966e64f5/a831b09e53aa4e4b83eb0032811f7fd6-0.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Here's How Lincoln Chafee Justified A Vote He Regrets > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=9cb7cde0-d3f4-4634-bf53-9d202dc110d1&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Watch the Democratic Debate in Less Than Four Minutes [Watch (HLS stream): Watch the Democratic Debate in Less Than Four Minutes](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/MP9tBH0u.m3u8) (4:00)  _Published 2015-10-14. In case you missed it_ by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Oct 14, 2015 2:35 AM UTC by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Oct 14, 2015 2:35 AM UTC Former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee blamed being new on the job and dealing with his dad’s death for a vote he now regrets as a United States Senator. During the Democratic debate in Las Vegas Tuesday, the long-shot candidate said that he regrets his decision to repeal the Glass-Steagall Act, a 1933 law that separated commercial and investment banking. “I just arrived at the United States Senate,” Chafee said. “It was the first vote and it was 90 to 5.” Chafee added that he had been appointed to the Senate to replace his late father, John Chafee, in 1999, and had been serving as mayor of Warwick, R.I., before going to the Senate. ### See the 2016 Candidates' Campaign Launches  Sen. Ted Cruz kicked off his campaign for 2016 Republican presidential nomination at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. on March 23. Tom Williams—CQ-Roll Call/Getty Images  Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul launched his bid for the Republican nomination at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville on April 7\. Supporters held signs with the slogan "Defeat the Washington Machine / Unleash the American Dream." Amy Harris—Corbis  Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced her campaign in a YouTube video posted April 12 that has been seen nearly 4.5 million times. One boy featured in the video boasted about playing a fish in a school play. Hillary For America  Florida Sen. Marco Rubio announced his campaign for the Republican nomination during a rally at the Freedom Tower in Miami on April 13\. He took a drink of water during the speech, a callback to his State of the Union response in 2013. Wilfredo Lee—AP  Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders announced his bid for the Democratic nomination across the street from the U.S. Capitol on April 30, 2015\. The backdrop was unusual, since most candidates rail against Washington. Jonathan Ernst—Reuters  Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson announced his bid for the Republican nomination at the Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts May 4, 2015 in Detroit, Michigan. The launch featured a gospel choir covering Eminem's "Lose Yourself." Bill Pugliano—Getty Images  Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina announced her campaign for the Republican nomination in a conference call on May 4, then went on "Good Morning America" to talk to George Stephanopoulos. Lou Rocco—Getty Images  Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee announced his campaign at a community college in his hometown of Hope, Ark., on May 5\. Singer Tony Orlando (right) performed. Left: Danny Johnston; Right: Matt Sullivan—Getty Images  Republican presidential candidate and former New York Governor George Pataki (C) greets supporters after formally announcing his candidacy for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination in Exeter, N.H. on May 28, 2015. Dominick Reuter—Reuters  Former Rhode Island Sen. Lincoln Chafee announces his candidacy for the democratic presidential nomination at George Mason University in Arlington, Va. on June 3, 2015. Win McNamee—Getty Images  Republican Senator Lindsey Graham announces his 2016 presidential candidacy in Central, S.C. on June 1, 2015. Erik S. Lesser—EPA  Former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley is joined by his wife Katie O'Malley (R) as he announces his intention to seek the Democratic presidential nomination during a speech at Federal Hill Park in Baltimore on May 30, 2015. Jim Bourg—Reuters  Former Texas governor Rick Perry announces his candidacy for Republican presidential nominee at an event held at Addison Airport in Addison, Texas on Thursday, June 4, 2015. Louis DeLuca—Dallas Morning News/Corbis  Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush waves on stage as he announces his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination during an event at Miami-Dade College - Kendall Campus in Miami on June 15 , 2015. Joe Raedle—Getty Images  Donald Trump holds up his financial statement showing his net worth as he formally announces his campaign for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination during an event at Trump Tower in New York City on June 16, 2015. Brendan McDermid—Reuters  Republican presidential candidate and Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal formally announces his campaign for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination in Kenner, La. on June 24, 2015. Jonathan Bachman—Reuters  Republican presidential candidate and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie formally announces his campaign for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination during a kickoff rally at Livingston High School in Livingston, N.J. on June 30, 2015. Brendan McDermid—Reuters  Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker greets supporters after announcing that he will seek the Republican nomination for president in Waukesha, Wis. on July 13, 2015 . Scott Olson—Getty Images  Ohio Governor John Kasich arrives on stage to formally announce his campaign for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination during a kickoff rally in Columbus, Ohio on July 21, 2015. Aaron P. Bernstein—Reuters ## Transcript Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the Democratic candidates for President of the United States. [ APPLAUSE ] So I would change our approach to the Middle East. We need a new paradigm in the Middle East. I think being the first women President would be quite a change. Protect the main street economy from recklessness on Wall Street. I would push to separate out these too big to jail, too big to fail banks. When millions of people begin to come together, And stand up and say, our government is gonna work for all of us, not just a handful of billionaires. I would lead, working with both parties in the Congress, and working through them in the traditional way that our Constitution says. Senator Sanders, will you say anything to get elected? I think that, like most people that I know, I have a range of views, but they are rooted in my values and my experiences. [ MUSIC ] What democratic socialism is about, is saying that it is immoral and wrong that the top one tenth of one percent in this country own almost 90 %, almost as much wealth as the bottom 90 %. We need to separate the casino speculative mega bank gambling. We have to ensure with our money Me from the commercial backing, mainly reinstating glass [ UNKNOWN ]. And that's a huge difference on this stage among us as candidates. I did. I'm with both Senator Sanders and Governor O'Malley in putting a lot of attention onto the banks. And the plan that I have put forward would actually empower regulators. Is to break up big banks if we thought they posed a risk. But I wanna make sure we're gonna cover everybody. Not what caused the problem last time, but what could cause it next time. Senator, senator- Congress does not regulate Wall Street. Wall Street regulates Congress. There's no doubt that when Putin came back in and said he was going to be president, that did change the relationship. We have to stand up to his bullying and specifically in Syria. I will do everything that I can to make sure the United States does not get involved in another quagmire like we did in Iraq. The worst foreign policy blunder in the history of this country. I believe that as President I would, not be so quick to pull for a military tool, I believe that a no fly zone in Syria, this time actually, Secretary, would be a mistake. You have to enforce no fly zones, and I believe especially with the Russian airforce in the air it could lead to an escalation because of an accident, that we would deeply regret. [ MUSIC ] Do I think that a gun shop in the state of Vermont that sells legally a gun to somebody and that somebody goes out and does something crazy that that gun shop owner should be held responsible? I don't. Is Bernie Sanders tough enough on guns? No. Not at all. I think that we have to look at the fact that we lose 90 people a day from gun violence. This has gone on too long and it's time the entire country stood up against the NRA. On the other hand, where you have manufacturers and where you have gun shops, knowingly giving guns to criminals or aiding and abetting that, of course we should take action. It's fine to talk about all of these things and I'm glad we're talking about these things. But I've actually done them. It's time to stand up and pass comprehensive gun safety legislation as a nation. [ APPLAUSE ] The American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails. Thank you. I'm not taking a backseat to anybody on my values, my principles. And the results that I get. When you have 11 million undocumented people in this country we need comprehensive immigration reform. If there would be a major difference between my administration and the Obama administration it would be in the use of executive authority. In this debate we tried to deal with some of the very tough issues facing our country. That's in stark contrast to the Republicans, who are currently running for President. 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