DENVER – Four Republicans looking to unseat Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper took aim at him Sunday, saying he was “weak” and failed to show leadership on a variety of issues, including the death penalty.
State Sen. Greg Brophy, Secretary of State Scott Gessler, businessman Steve House and former state Sen. Minority Leader Mike Kopp were asked a range of questions during a 90-minute debate.
Unseating Hickenlooper in November will be a tough task. A recent poll showed the governor gets good marks for trust, leadership and understanding voters’ needs.
Brophy kicked off the attack on Hickenlooper in his introduction.
“I think we need a governor for all of Colorado, ... someone who listens to the people of Colorado and not the mayor of New York City,” he said.
It was a reference to former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who played a role in last year’s controversial gun-control debate at the Capitol and donated money to the failed education tax hike measure, Amendment 66.
Brophy said gun rights shouldn’t be a top issue in the state, but Hickenlooper made it that way.
“It’s not just gun rights,” Gessler added. “It’s a whole host of civil liberties.”
House said “the larger issue here is the government doesn’t trust us” – whether the question is gun control, health care or other issues.
The debate was sponsored by Fox 31, The Gazette of Colorado Springs and the Colorado Republican Party.
Congressman Tom Tancredo was a no-show for the second time. He has chosen to skip primary debates, saying it gives fodder to Democrats to attack the GOP nominee.
Not invited to the debate were businessman Jason Clark and rancher Roni Bell Sylvester; Clark announced Sunday he was dropping his bid and backing former Congressman Bob Beauprez, who is expected to file his paperwork for a governor’s run on Monday.
When asked to described Hickenlooper’s leadership style, Brophy and Gessler both said “weak.” House said “managerial,” and Kopp answered “Sponge Bob Square Pants.”
When asked about abortion and gay marriage, Kopp said it appears the press is the most interested in “divisive social issues” because those issues don’t come up much on the campaign trail.
“People are pretty focused right now on establishing freedom and reinvigorating job growth in the state,” he said.
None of the candidates supported Amendment 64, the 2012 ballot measure legalizing the sale of marijuana in Colorado.
“What we need is someone who is going to focus on creating substance in Colorado, where we really are the beacon for growth and prosperity and use that brand, that effort to create Colorado’s reputation and not let it be dominated by marijuana,” Gessler said.
All four candidates slammed Hickenlooper for his decision last year to indefinitely delay the execution of convicted killer Nathan Dunlap after raising questions about the fairness of the death penalty.
“How can there be a greater failure of leadership than to stand there and explain why the death penalty shouldn’t be used and then not make any decisions at all,” House said.
Sunday’s debate follows a GOP gubernatorial debate last week.
