WORCESTER, Mass. - Massachusetts' entire congressional delegation is made up of Democrats and while that may make running as a Republican seem like an uphill battle, the state has a very popular moderate Republican governor in Charlie Baker.

Jeffrey Sossa-Paquette also labels himself a moderate Republican and this fall he is challenging Democratic Congressman Jim McGovern to represent Massachusetts' 2nd Congressional district in Congress. 

"I'm a very moderate Republican, there's nothing extreme about me," Sossa-Paquette told Spectrum News. 

McGovern argues that is not the case. 

"He's somebody who, you know, who retweets Marjorie Taylor Greene and Josh Hawley you know, Lauren Boebert," McGovern said. "He likes to repost these extreme right wing voices on his social media."

We asked both candidates to take time off the campaign trail to speak with Spectrum News about their views on abortion right, same-sex marriage and the economy. 

On abortion, the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade after nearly 50 years both concerned and frustrated Representative Jim McGovern. 

“The bottom line is we have a rogue right wing Supreme Court that took away a right that was enshrined in the Constitution, away from women," McGovern said. "I'm a father and my daughter will have less rights and my wife, thanks to the Supreme Court, and Republicans are blocking [Democrats] attempts to codify Roe vs.Wade. But if they were to win in these midterm elections, what they're going to do is they're going to codify the Supreme Court decision, which means that even in places like Massachusetts, abortion can become illegal." 

On the same issue, McGovern’s challenger Jeffrey Sossa-Paquette claims he does not have the same anti-abortion stance as many Republicans in Congress.

"I believe in abortion with limits, meaning, that isn't acceptable to say, by 20 weeks, barring, you know, the life of the mother or something horrific happening with the baby itself, should we not be able to make that decision," Sossa-Paquette said. 

The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade also set off alarm bells on the issue of gay marriage. In his concurring opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the high court “should reconsider” its past rulings on same-sex relationships and marriage. McGovern wanted to point out  he's been involved in recent efforts to ensure that doesn't happen.  

“In the house, I helped bring to the floor a bill to overturn the Defense of Marriage Act, which basically said that states had the right not to recognize same sex marriages performed other states, and to basically codify the marriage equality decision that the Supreme Court previously had decided," McGovern said. "Look, these people, these Republicans have taken a sharp turn to the right and they want to take away people's rights, whether it's women's reproductive rights or whether it's the right to be able to marry who you love." 

Sossa-Paquette, a married gay man and father of two adopted children, sees it differently. We asked whether he believed his marriage might be in jeopardy.

“I say no, but I think here's the problem and saying no, for 50 years, we said Roe would never get overturned," Sossa-Paquette said. 

Leading into the midterms, the economy and inflation continues to be a top concern for Americans. So, Spectrum News asked both candidates about Democrats' recently passed climate and health care bill, which they named the Inflation Reduction Act. Sossa-Paquette said the legislation doesn’t deliver any immediate benefits.

"We've got to fix prescription drugs, all of that I come from a place of gotta tell the constituents the truth, if it's going to be three years before you save $1? Then tell them that," Sossa-Paquette said. 

McGovern, meanwhile, dismissed criticism from Republicans that the legislation will only worsen inflation. 

“It's about lowering prices for people whether it's lowering healthcare prices, prescription drug prices, energy costs, and on top of all of that there is a significant amount of that package that we pass that will go toward deficit reduction," McGovern said. 

The two also differ in the experience they'd bring to the position. McGovern has served in Congress since 2013, while Sossa-Paquette has run a childcare business for 22 years.