Sen. Cory Gardner and former Gov. John Hickenlooper faced off Friday evening in Pueblo during the first debate of the Colorado U.S. Senate race.
The candidates met at an event hosted by The Pueblo Chieftain at Pueblo Community College. Moderator and Chieftain editor Steve Henson questioned the candidates on topics ranging from energy development to the Supreme Court, but two issues dominated the evening: ethics and health care.
Gardner, the Republican incumbent, repeatedly slammed Hickenlooper for ethics violations he was found to have committed during his time as governor, as well as Hickenlooper’s use of taxpayer money to pay his attorney. Colorado’s Independent Ethics Commission fined Hickenlooper this year for illegal gifts he received while serving as governor. Gardner said these violations were a sign Hickenlooper was running for Senate to benefit himself.
“Several years back, Gov. Hickenlooper apparently forgot that he worked for the people of Colorado,” Gardner said.
Hickenlooper, a Democrat, responded by saying the reason he was being attacked so frequently during the campaign for his ethics violations was because the people and organizations running ads in favor of Gardner couldn’t defend the incumbent’s record in Congress.
“Cory Gardner can’t run on his record,” Hickenlooper said, a sentiment he echoed throughout the debate.
Many of Hickenlooper’s attacks on Gardner’s record focused on the difference between the two candidates’ health care policies. Hickenlooper touted his expansion of Medicaid during his time as governor. He also repeatedly pointed to Gardner’s votes in favor of repealing the Affordable Care Act without a replacement in line to protect people from losing insurance coverage.
“In these 10 years of trying to get rid of it, where is the replacement?” Hickenlooper asked.
He also accused Gardner of seeking to strip coverage from people with pre-existing conditions – people guaranteed coverage by the ACA. Gardner said legislation he introduced this year, the Pre-Existing Conditions Protection Act, is intended to protect people with pre-existing conditions. However, Hickenlooper said fact checks show the bill doesn’t do enough to prevent insurance companies from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions.
Gardner, in turn, attacked Hickenlooper’s support for a universal public health care option, saying that it will lead to Medicare for All, or national single-payer health care. Gardner said Hickenlooper’s plan will lead to increased taxes and cause problems for hospitals as well as eventually lead to all health insurance being government-controlled.
“Medicare for All will eliminate the insurance that 178 million people across this country get from their employer,” Gardner said. “Gov. Hickenlooper’s plan will devastate rural hospitals.”
When asked if the Senate should vote on Trump’s nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, Hickenlooper said he thinks the seat should be filled by the winner of November’s presidential election.
He said Barrett’s nomination was part of an effort by Republicans to try to end the ACA. The Supreme Court has previously upheld the health care plan but is set to hear a new case regarding it in November.
Gardner, who has said he plans to support Barrett’s nomination, said he wants to ensure the justices on the Supreme Court will uphold the Constitution and not legislate from the bench. He did not discuss the ACA case but instead said he wanted the seat filled by a justice who would protect the rule of law.
The candidates also traded barbs over energy policy and environmental issues. Hickenlooper said Gardner was one of the worst polluters in the Senate, while Gardner said Hickenlooper’s energy policy will wipe out jobs.
Gardner spoke in favor of the fossil fuel industry in Colorado, but also touted the Great American Outdoors Act, a landmark bill he sponsored to protect public lands and support outdoor recreation and conservation across the country. The act was passed this year and widely hailed as one of the most important public lands and conservation bills in years.
Hickenlooper, in turn, highlighted the growth Colorado’s outdoor recreation economy saw during his tenure as governor. He also outlined his plan to grow jobs in the renewable energy sector to replace those lost in the fossil fuel industry.
At the end of the hourlong debate, both closed by turning to their records of working with others to give voters reason to support them.
Gardner highlighted his reputation for working across party lines and pointed to the high rate of success he has had getting bills signed into law – much of that legislation has been passed with strong bipartisan support.
Hickenlooper spoke about his roots as a small business owner and his tenure as mayor of Denver as signs of his dedication to working with others. He is only the second Denver mayor to be elected governor and credits this to his work with communities around Denver and across the state to create plans for things such as water management to better allocate resources for everyone.
Friday’s debate can be viewed online at https://bit.ly/3ngIrLM.
Hickenlooper and Gardner will face off again Oct. 9 in Denver.
John Purcell is an intern for The Durango Herald and The Journal in Cortez and a student at American University in Washington, D.C.
