First televised english debate between the two candidates for u. S. Senate, a race that will help shape our countrys future. Our moderator tonight, denver sevens intervianne trujillo. Im joined by caitlin kim of Colorado Public Radio and justin of the denver post. We want to thank our candidates for being with us tonight. Yes, they are socially distanced and following all protocols. Yes, both are being tested regularly. A quick reminder about the rules for tonights debate. Candidates will have 60 seconds to answer most questions, 30 seconds to answer followup questions. We will ask specific yes and no questions throughout the debate. And this goes without saying, but we are asking that both candidates please refrain from interrupting one another. We have a lot of territory to get through tonight, so we must start with the pandemic. We have seen the consequences, economic devastation, especially for the lowest wage workers, people of color hit disproportionately, kids and adults struggling with Mental Health and suicides climbing. On monday, the president tweeted do not be afraid of covid, do not let it dominate your life. 2000 coloradans have died, another 75,000 have been diagnosed with the coronavirus. As a member of the senate, are you proud of the way that the republican majority is handling the pandemic . Sen. Gardner we have to improve our work each and every day. Republicans and democrats coming together with our state elected officials to do the job to help us get through this pandemic. I am proud of the work i have done with Governor Polis to provide hundreds of thousands of covid19 tests, that i helped us secure from korea. Governor polis said much of what we had to respond early on was because of the work we did with taiwan and with south korea as well. A as well. So i am excited to continue the work that we need to do for the so i am excited to continue the work that we need to do for the people of colorado, including additional relief in the Paycheck Protection Program, additional dollars for Unemployment Benefits. I am proud for those efforts and i will fight for more. Each and every time. Xtend Unemployment Benefits and allow businesses a second loan, but unfortunately John Hickenlooper opposed the vote. He wouldve voted no. The difference between us is i believe this is about the people of colorado. It is not about him. That is what he thinks it is. This is about supporting the people of colorado. Moderator the question was, are you proud of the way the senate is handling it . Are you proud of the way that president is handling the pandemic . Sen. Gardner we have to go to work each and every day to make sure we are proud of our response. The fact is we should not be proud of anybody who passes away. We have had 200,000 lives lost, hundreds of thousands that we have seen in the u. S. This is a question of pride. This is a question of getting through this together. I believe we must get through this by staying together and united, that is what we do in colorado. It is not a question of being proud or a question of pride, it is about standing together to fight a pandemic that does not care about republicans or democrats. Moderator mr. Hickenlooper, the senator said you do not prepare the state well enough for the pandemic. What is your response to that . Mr. Hickenlooper let me say that i think he has done a remarkable job of addressing the Pandemic Response from a state level. And certainly we did communication tabletops. The whole point of them is to improve the systems. We did that. The bottom line is President Trump has, from the very beginning his negligence in identifying the real challenge and risk of covid19, and then the incompetence of the response, once and they owned up to it, that has made our consequences more severe than any industrialized, pretty much any industrialized country in the world. Our economy is upside down and we still cannot get Additional Resources or relief. People have lost their jobs, their businesses and they are trying to figure out how to make rent and put food on the table. In washington, it is the same as it ever was. And he is part of the status quo that does not get things done. Moderator did you prepare colorado well enough . Mr. Hickenlooper i think we put in place the processes by which you can continuously improve whatever it is you have. Moderator thank you. We are going to continue on with health care questions. Lets move on. Caitlin, continue. Mr. Gardner, you voted nine times to repeal the health care act. If that effort finally succeeds, what will replace it and be as specific as possible. Sen. Gardner i think you heard the governor admitted that he did not prepare the state of colorado for the pandemic, his own tabletop exercises prove that and of the audit that the state performed. There are two things we agree on when it comes to health care. One, we will protect people with preexisting conditions. That is why i have introduced legislation to protect. People with preexisting conditions two, the Affordable Care act needs to be replaced. I believe in a patient centered plan. The idea that a patient and doctor should be making these decisions. It is based on reinsurance. I helped to make sure that the state of colorado received a waiver for the reinsurance program, to drive down costs, that is what the state was seeking and i helped grant that from hhs. It is making sure that we have it is making sure that we have health plans at work. Making sure that we have preexisting condition overage. 170 million ld insurance policies away from the American People. He believes in a government run system that puts the bureaucrats in charge, like getting a colonoscopy at the dmv. I did not really hear a plan that you have, what would replace the Affordable Care act. Sen. Gardner we will make sure that we have a plan for those with preexisting conditions. It is based on risk pools. To make sure that we have insurance across state lines, drive down unnecessary procedures at that drive up the cost of medical care. That is estimated by about 25 . We can reduce those costs. The plan is to make sure we empower citizens, empower constituents and patients, not empowering congress to be in charge of their health care. Remember, what John Hickenloopers plan would do would lead to medicare for all, which is health care for none. 178 Million People would lose their Health Insurance as a result and it would increase payroll taxes by 2300. Thank you. Many parts of the Affordable Care act have been struck down in the past 10 years, but some provisions remain, like the insurance marketplaces, protecting preexisting conditions and keeping children on insurance until 26 years old. Should democrats focus on restoring things like the individual mandate or try something new . R. Hickenlooper let me take a moment first he is a fast speaker and i think you will hear a lot of attacks, some outright lies from him. But lets answer this question, the Affordable Care act provided, not universal coverage, but increased coverage in this country. And they did provide for relief or kids in the in between age, so they can stay on their parents plan, protections for preexisting conditions. I believe we have to build on the Affordable Care act. That is what barack obama builds as a foundation. And i think a sliding scale public option gets us a long way there. E says he has a bill that will provide for protecting people, for extending the protections for preexisting conditions. Theres no there, there. They have had five different Fact Checkers say it is a sham. Channel 9, another station called it horse excrement. Moderator we will move on to some yes and no questions as elated to health care. When i address you directly, respond with a yes or a no. Vice President Biden supports dropping the age from 65 to 60 for medicare, while making those extra years optional. Do you support that idea . Sen. Gardner the question was to drop the age of medicare eligibility . I support more people who can get more access to medicare, as long as it is sustained. Moderator it is a yes or a no question. Sen. Gardner if i understand the plan correct, i have not read the plan, but if it is more people getting into the care they have been promised and we protect medicare, then of course. Mr. Hickenlooper it is part of he package, but yes, i support giving the balancing that goes on. Moderator yes or no, would you vote in favor of a medicaid for ll bill . Mr. Hickenlooper no. Sen. Gardner know, but that is exactly what his plan is no, but that is exactly what his plan is. Moderator do you believe the federal government should be able to negotiate drug prices . Sen. Gardner yes. Mr. Hickenlooper yes. Moderator next question comes from justin. Justin mr. Hickenlooper, we will begin with you. Do you think that the government should send out another round of stimulus checks . Mr. Hickenlooper yes or no . Yes, absolutely. I think the fact that it has been six months and washington cannot get its act together is a shameful. We are dealing with people who have lost so much, families on the edge of bankruptcy, literally having trouble putting food on the table. Nd i think that we need to recognize that we have to provide support for our schools, so they can open safely. Lets make sure that we finally get sufficient Testing Capacity, so everyone who needs it can get it. Allow Small Businesses to open safely. And make sure we have enough protective equipment, so businesses and schools can all open safely. We have to make sure we get resources for our local governments and State Governments, to make sure that they can do well. Cory gardner and republican senators have been allowing themselves not to make any negotiations for six months. This has been going on for six months. Only in washington could you have such stagnation and call it good politics. Justin your response . Sen. Gardner i have supported expanding loans to businesses, loan forgiveness is to businesses to keep their doors open. There is rosies diner in colorado which is in Business Today because of the ppp oan. I spoke to a business in Greenwood Village that is around today because of the ppp loan, and they need more assistance. That is why i supported a bill that supports other things that need to be done. It would have provided billions of dollars for schools, dollars for testing, it wouldve provided dollars for businesses and ppe. That bill wouldve passed of the senate if we had bipartisan support, but unfortunately john said that he wouldve voted no, because he believes it is more important to play politics than providing relief for the people of the state. That is what you get with john, somebody willing to violate the states constitution against nd somebody willing to vote no on relief, then tell the people of colorado that they need more. It is not about you. Justin what about stimulus checks . Sen. Gardner absolutely, we need to support stemless checks, but the checks that we sent out, john criticized that bill as ell. The relief in the American People need was on the floor, with more coming just a few weeks ago, but to be clear my john said he wouldve opposed that. Is that a power grab . Does he want to wait until after he election, so maybe he can use it as political gain . Earlier this summer, he was convicted by the Ethics Commission because he believed the laws could be used for his own gain, ignoring the laws at the expense of the people. That is what you see happening with Coronavirus Relief. Moderator thank you. Mr. Hickenlooper can i respond . Moderator please. Mr. Hickenlooper the bottom line is that that bill was going to cut the extended insurance, the extended unemployment by two thirds. It was going do not provide any money for local governments or State Governments. It was going to provide little or no support for schools trying to reopen. So think about the schools. Kids want to go to school to learn, parents wanted them to go to school, the Teachers Want to teach, and they do not have the resource to do it. They cannot do it all themselves. Moderator thank you. Sen. Gardner he got it wrong, it did include money for education. Moderator thank you. We are moving on. Sen. Gardner he got the bill wrong. It is important to set the record straight. 105 billion for education was n that bill. We had dollars for schools, we had dollars for coronavirus protection, and he said he would have voted no. He did not even understand the bill. It is not about you. Moderator we will let you have the last word. Mr. Hickenlooper i think that we see again so many words. Sen. Gardner it is the truth. Mr. Hickenlooper and distortions and exaggerations. I trust people will be able to ee through this. We need to make sure that we get relief to the people that need it. The republicans control the senate, they are able to bring the bill forward and able to negotiate, but over six months they have not done it. It is the same as it ever was. Moderator we are moving on. Caitlin. Caitlin you are the third most ipartisan senator. But your voting record shows that you 90 of the time. How do you square those two . Sen. Gardner because i vote 100 of the time with the people of colorado. I brought the bureau of Land Management here in colorado. I have opened up the u. S. Space command in Colorado Springs. I just passed at the Great American outdoors act, identified as the most inefficient conservation accomplishment in over 50 years. A bill that was described as the holy grail of conservation. I lead funding and legislation to complete the aurora v. A. Hospital, to create a hotline that will save lives in olorado. Every single one of them took bipartisan support. Every single one was about us bringing republicans and democrats together, not as a byproduct, but to begin from the beginning to convince the president that we needed to pass the Great American outdoors act. Hat is bipartisanship. What you hear from john is he will not even support a republican led relief effort because apparently the republicans control the senate, and he does not think it was good enough, even though it contained the things that he wants. Moderator do you believe 100 of coloradans support 90 of President Trumps agenda . Sen. Gardner i will vote with colorado every single time. I believe that is what i have done. John hickenlooper actually called it the Great American outdoors act meaningless, he called the Suicide Prevention bill meaningless. He said the bills that cory gardner has passed are mostly meaningless. The bill that will save lives is meaningless . The Great American outdoors act that will put thousands to work is meaningless . Look, he is convinced the race is about him. You cannot trust a John Hickenlooper because when he was in colorado he took tax revenue to pay for his own moderator thank you. Every senator goes to washington vowing to fix the system. You said you did not want that job. Take a listen. Mr. Hickenlooper i respect senators, some of my best friends are senators, but i do not think im for that. Mr. Hickenlooper there are a umber of old friends, a couple mr. Hickenlooper i respect senators, some of my best friends are senators, but i do not think im for that. Mr. Hickenlooper there are a umber of old friends, a couple of my neighbors said it is a different job from being a ceo, it is a different job from being a mayor or governor, but the same scale, is bringing people together to find Common Ground and get things done. I called up a number of former governors at that went on to ecome senators and i said, can you feel like you are making a difference . Do you like it, is it rewarding . Everyone of them said, you will love it and you are just what we need, a Small Business person, somebody who has built a Small Business from the ground up and lay awake at night sometimes to igure out how to make payroll, and dealt with the regulations, and then went on to city government, State Government can i see how. They are supposed to Work Together that is what the senate needs, the ability to understand the relationships, but also to get people to Work Together. What is happening now is all of the senators are pointing fingers at each other. And cory gardner is in the middle of this. They would make you think that the status quo is perfect. Moderator thank you. We will do another yes and no round. And again, same as before, really we are working to get a es or no answer. So, if the Covid Infection rate rises above 5 in colorado, would you support another shutdown . Mr. Garner . Sen. Gardner no, we cannot afford a shutdown. Mr. Hickenlooper above 5 . Moderator if it rises above 5 in colorado, would you support another shutdown . Mr. Hickenlooper i would do with the medical professionals suggest, yes. Moderator some people are calling for a National Mask mandate, would you support it . Sen. Gardner national . No. Mr. Hickenlooper no. Sen. Gardner i wear a mask, but i think it would go too far. He answer is no. Oderator do you believe a Supreme Court justice should be confirmed before the results of the election . Sen. Gardner yes. The question was before moderator before the president ial election. Sen. Gardner we should follow a transparent process moderator yes or no. Sen. Gardner as long as there is a thorough process. If the process is completed and it is thorough and fair, yes. Moderator mr. Hickenlooper, do you believe a Supreme Court justice should be confirmed before the Election Results . Mr. Hickenlooper as cory gardner said, the voice of the eople should be heard. They should not confirm until their voices are heard. Moderator that is a no. This is not a yes or no. We will give you 30 seconds, which should be the top priority of the senate, a coronavirus package or confirming judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court . Choose one or the other. Mr. Hickenlooper . Mr. Hickenlooper covid, that has to be the primary thing to deal with, and to make sure we are dealing with the economy in constructive way. Especially for Small Businesses that are at risk of being able to not reopen. We are looking at the shops, the restaurants, hair salons, this has to be a time when we focus on that. The vote of the people should help determine or allow the next president to decide who is nominated to the Supreme Court. Moderator thank you. Sen. Gardner we should be focused on covid, that is why i am focused on covid. That is why i am trying to pass a relief bill right now. That is why i voted several weeks ago to pass a relief package, a package John Hickenlooper said that he opposed. That bill supported the Small Businesses that you say you want to support, it provided help to those coffee shops, Hardware Stores and you said no, because not everything in the bill no, because not retain you want to was in the bill. But something is better than nothing. Moderator my question is what should be the priority of the senate, one or the other, the coronavirus or sen. Gardner coronavirus. That is why we need to continue this effort. Moderator thank you, we will move on. Caitlin . In 2016 you said the senate should not confirming Supreme Court justice before the election. This is what you said. Sen. Gardner we are in the heart of a campaign with a divisive president who has done nothing but Overreach Congress time and time again, so i believe the next to bring Court Justice should be chosen by the people through the election of the next president. Moderator why do you no longer tand by those words . Sen. Gardner and has obligations, like we did in 2016. We followed the president in 016. In 2020, the president stands clear. We will advise and consent, the requirements of the constitution. The president this standard we are following goes back to he late 1800s. And i would remind the listeners at what John Hickenlooper did when he was governor. When he was governor, in his last year in office, 2018, he appointed a justice to the colorado Supreme Court. So he believes you can appoint a justice in the last year of a governors term, so i think he has to square what you said four years ago, do not confirm any justice, or do confirm a justice, now he is saying do not confirm a justice. Yet he himself in 2018 put a justice on the colorado Supreme Court. This talk about the kind of justices or judges at that he supports. He put a judge on the bench that covered up a cocaine ring. Covered up a cocaine ring. He has another judge on the bench at that was a maxed out Campaign Donor to his campaign. It is clear the kind of justice at that John Hickenlooper wants, it is not about you, it is about the people of colorado and we need to fight like heck for every person here. Moderator why dont you stand by those words . Sen. Gardner i talked about precedent. From 2016, it is the same we exercise our advise and consent clause, the same powers we are doing in 2020. Moderator thank you very much. Mr. Hickenlooper can i respond . Moderator let me ask the next question. If you want to respond, you can. In 2016, you said the senate should not or should confirm eric garland. So why have you changed your position . Mr. Hickenlooper back then, we had 10 months. Just like i had when i made the appointment my last euros governor, which by the way cory gardner knows that we have an independent Bipartisan Commission that vets all of the candidates and then recommends a three that the governor can choose from. It is a process that is considered the Gold Standard in how you appoint judges, so he knows these allegations do not carry much water. I looked at this as, the precedent is right now being twisted to suddenly now the voice of the people in a divisive election, with a divisive president , it does not atter anymore. Why cant we wait to see who gets elected, and let them nominate the next justice. This will be a lifetime appointment, no reason to rush to judgment. Cory gardner supported 210 out of 214, a number that did not meet the basic standards of the american bar association. Its me about it is surprising. Moderator we have a followup question. If Justice Barrett is onfirmed, and joe biden wins the election, would you vote to increase the size of the Supreme Court . Mr. Hickenlooper in the first place, i do not think that will happen. I continue to hope that there are enough republican incumbents running for senate, that when the bright lights are turned up and they recognize that their vote is going to violate the will of the American People, they will recognize that this is not the time. And i do not think that amy koning bear is going to get approved. Amy Coney Barrett is going to get approved. My experience is it is generally the people, the institutions, that you need to change. Once we get new people in washington, the system i think will right itself. I am saying that i think that the first task that you have to do is go and make sure that you get new senators in place, new people. And i think that will change the institution, more than changing the rules. Mr. Gardner, 30 seconds, any circumstances in which you would support adding another justice . Sen. Gardner no, i yield the rest of my time for him to actually answer the question. He has said he would be open to court in the past. No, i do not support it. That is what Ruth Bader Ginsburg said. It is a precedent with nine justices. Will you pack the court, yes or o . Amy Coney Barrett is going to get approved. My experience is it is generally the people, the institutions, that you need to change. Nce we get new people in washington, the system i think will right itself. I am saying that i think that the first task that you have to do is go and make sure that you get new senators in place, new eople. And i think that will change the institution, more than changing the rules. Mr. Gardner, 30 seconds, any circumstances in which you would support adding another justice . Sen. Gardner no, i yield the rest of my time for him to actually answer the question. He has said he would be open to court in the past. No, i do not support it. That is what Ruth Bader Ginsburg said. It is a precedent with nine justices. Will you pack the court, yes or no . R. Hickenlooper i am happy to repeat the answer that i gave. The bottom line is sen. Gardner yes or no, do you agree . Moderator ok, we are going to move on. Our next questions come from justin. Justin thank you. We are up to mr. Gardner. You did not vote for donald trump in 2016. You endorsed him in 2019. What changed your mind . Sen. Gardner i did not think that he could win the election in 2016, and i wanted to make sure that Hillary Clinton did not win the white house because her ideas were wrong for the country. They included the government and wouldve lessened the opportunities for the American People. The choice is clear. The choice is clear in 2020. The choice is clear in 2020. The choice is clear in 2020. The choice is clear in 2020. The choice is clear in 2020. The choice is clear in 2020. The choice is clear in 2020. The choice is clear in 2020. The choice is clear in 2020. The choice is clear in 2020. The choice is clear in 2020. The choice is clear in 2020. The choice is clear in 2020. The choice is clear in 2020. The choice is clear in 2020. The choice is clear in 2020. Th the choice is clear in 2020. The choice is 20 the choice is clear in 2020. The choi her ideas included big government, weak Foreign Policy and would have lessened the opportunities for the American People. The choice is clear in 2020. We have a choice between somebody who will create a socialized medicine program, ban fracking. Hickenlooper said he would be with him every step of the way. He said he would support, he wants to go further than the green new deal. He wants to make oil and gas obsolete. Do you know what that means . 230,000 coloradans will lose their job. Is that the kind of economic plan you have for this state . 30,000 people losing their jobs. These are people i live with in my neighborhood. My family members. We have an administration under joe biden that would destroy our economy. Moderator we will get to oil and gas in a minute. Are you proud of your support for donald trump . Mr. Gardner im proud of the work we have done together, to open up the bureau of Land Management headquarters. Im proud of the work weve done. Lets be proud of the work weve done. We will bring people together. We need to make it about the people of colorado. You know whats wrong with washington, d. C. . You send people there that are dedicated to a partisan fight. Instead of working together. Im the thirdmost bipartisan member of the United States senate. John thinks its all about him. Thats why he wants to go there. E admits it. Moderator i did not hear an answer. Mr. Gardner its been good for the state of colorado to bring bureau of Land Management here, to cut taxes. Look at what our state has done. 7 wage growth across the western part of the United States. Hickenlooper wants to repeal the 2017 tax cuts. That would reduce wages. Moderator are you proud of your support . Mr. Gardner im not going to support a socialist. Im not going to support a socialist. Moderator thank you. Mr. Hickenlooper, your time to respond. 30 seconds please. Mr. Hickenlooper i think resident trumps negligence in addressing covid19, his complete incompetence and that of his team and responding once they recognize the threat is a disgrace. It hurt the country is much as ny Natural Disaster in our lifetime. Gardner did not speak out against that. When President Trump tried to get foreign governments to intercede in our elections, cory gardner and speak out. During the president s debate, he said, standby to white supremacists, cory gardner idnt respond. Moderator thank you. Thank you. You did commit to violations while in office. Why should the people of Colorado Trust you . Those were violations of travel. I tried to promote colorado. We became the number one economy in the country. Those allegations came from a dark money, Republican Group. That was you know, made originally, 97 a gayses of only two were violations. You know, there were inadvertent. They were reporting errors. The denver post called them an honest mistake. I accept responsibility. Lets return to where those are coming from. The dark money Republican Group recognizes they cant defend Cory Gardners record. Hes trying to roll back protections for peoples preexisting medical conditions. Nine times. Not just not addressing Climate Change. He wants to roll back protections for clean air and clean water. This is unacceptable by any measure. They know he cant run on t. They spent 20 million attacking me over the course of the summer. Thats washington politics oming to colorado. They see right through it. Coloradans recognize that this is a huge amount of attack ads and coverups. Moderator thank you. We are going to take a break. Mr. Gardner i would like to respond. Moderator we need to take a break right now. Mr. Gardner he invoked my name. I apologize. Moderator we need to take a break. We will continue the conversation right after this commercial break. Moderator and welcome back, everybody. Gardner and John Hickenlooper. We are going to continue our conversation now. Talking about the economy. Federal unemployment numbers show women have dropped out of the workforce and tremendous numbers during this pandemic. 170,000 women left the labor market between february and may. That is double the amount of men. One in 12 working women. What policies do you think the federal government needs to advance to protect families, particularly working women, during difficult times like these . Mr. Gardner thank you for this question. Prior to the pandemic, record on implement growth. Tax cuts were adding 1400 per household in colorado. The western part of the United States saw wage growth at . Household income. Hispanic families saw 65 Family Wealth increases. Africanamerican families 33 increases. Women were entering the workforce, creating new jobs and opportunities. Because of the regulatory systems that we had been able to make more efficient and to encourage investment into startups. The work we continue to do in he Coronavirus Relief needs to reflect the effort to make sure that women, men are able to get into the workforce, to keep their businesses open, to get skills that they need to compete in the future. Ive led legislation like the American Innovation and competitiveness act to make sure we have training opportunities. The bill i supported a couple weeks ago wouldve provided additional dollars for businesses like women owned businesses across the state of colorado. John hickenlooper wouldve voted against that relief. We cant leave people behind. I dont understand why hes trying to do that. The timer may not be working so i will stop. Moderator you are out of time. Thank you. What policies do you think the federal government needs to dvance to protect women . Mr. Hickenlooper the first thing we need to do is make sure that Small Businesses can reopen. They need to have Testing Capacity and protective equipment. Hese things that the white house promised months ago and the senate promised it and it still hasnt happened. Women are often the Small Business generators. They start and grow Small Businesses in disproportional numbers. In a crisis like this, they are also the ones who get shut down. The original cares act didnt get enough resources. We need to look at how we can make sure that they get, not just skills training, but access to capital. Loans that can be turned into grants if they push through. Make sure that their workers can get the extended unemployment to get through this dark time until the businesses can safely eopen. We have to make sure that women get paid fairly. We know they are getting paid, in many cases, . 75 on the dollar of what men get paid. Its long overdue that the senate and washington should take this on and make sure its a level Playing Field for everyone. Moderator our next question comes to us from Colorado Springs. Take a listen. Thank you. Good evening. Covid19 impacted colorados tourism economy in many ways. We spent months profiling Business Owners who are eager to rebound. Heres what we were told in april. We are holding our own. Its not as much business as we are used to, unfortunately. I had to lay off my staff. I expect to rehire them at something. With the economy working to recover and Small Business owners trying to rebound, what role should Congress Play in helping our tourism communities . Mr. Hickenlooper yes. As someone who spent almost three years in the restaurant business, i understand the challenges people are acing. I know what its like to be responsible for making payroll for the welfare and capacity of your employees to pay rent. Its a challenge. What Congress Says has got to do is address the ability to respond. We have to make it safer people to feel they can go out and enjoy their lives. We have to be sure we have Testing Capacity. It has to be fast. You cant wait three or four days. If they have a sniffle, they have to know if they will be ontagious. It is for their benefits. We havent gotten sufficient Testing Capacity even to this day. Its unbelievable, its unconscionable that we dont have that. Protective equipment. Access to more resources. Much larger investments than what we saw. Moderator same question. What role should Congress Play in helping our Tourism Community . Mr. Gardner this isnt a case where a restaurant was serving bad food so it had to close or a hotel room was dirty so people stopped going. The government said, lets socially distance and stop this business for now to get through this. The government needs to respond. Im working on the restaurant act to provide 101 billion to 120 billion to keep restaurants open. Thats why im part of the rehire america plan, to cover the salaries of employees. Its why im a part of the startup act. I continue to support legislation like the Paycheck Protection Program to get those dollars into the hands of Small Businesses. Its why we passed the Great American outdoors act. Its the law of the land. It will be putting millions of dollars into colorado to get eople hired. I spoke to a business in Colorado Springs because of the Paycheck Protection Program. Hickenlooper things its all about him. He would have voted against the business relief that the tourism ndustry needs. Moderator thank you very uch. Justin has our next line of questions. Thank you. The New York Times or print on president toms taxes. Some years, he paid nothing. Other years, as little as 750. Is that fair . Mr. Hickenlooper of course not. This is exactly what was driving people nuts about washington. Washington feels that theres two sets of rules. President trump, we dont know exactly any details about his business. How much is he using his position to benefit his business . We know he has huge amounts of debt. We think it is certain foreign governments. S that affecting his negotiations with countries like russia or china . Why did the u. S. Redirect their Energy Around russia and being more benevolent . Everybody should pay their fair share. Cory gardner supports Donald Trumps trillion dollar tax giveaway. The wealthiest individuals got 83 of the benefits while so many Small Businesses were temporary. Mr. Gardner thank you for the question. This would be answered if the president would release his tax returns. I urge him to do so. Hat answers all of these questions. There are two sets of rules in washington. Lets talk about the rules that you are playing by. You finished this last segment saying that you were found guilty on two small charges. Do you think that violating the state constitution is no big deal, nonchalant, a small thing . Do you think the independent Ethics Committee that found you guilty is actually a Dark Money Group . You obtained some of the members. You already when it comes to the people of colorado, you want them to look away when you yourself have two sets of rules. Violate the state constitution. You werent set free. Ou were found innocent on 91 charges. They were outside of the statute of limitations. They were never brought up. This is about somebody you cant trust because he things its all about him. If its all about him, he wont fight for you. Will you waive the statute of limitations . Moderator would you like to respond . Mr. Hickenlooper the incessant distortions and misstatement of facts. The bottom line is, cory gardner cant defend his record. He will keep attacking me all night. I dont think its going to stop t any point. In terms of the bill he says i would not vote for, at that moment, i would not have voted or it. If it was negotiated and got more money for this, restaurants for instance, why isnt it ast . Moderator we will move on now. Our federal debt is more than 20 trillion. Both parties are discussing another round of coronavirus stimulus. What do you think should be done to get the deficit under ontrol, if anything . Mr. Hickenlooper obviously, we will have to pay the piper. We gave the largest tax giveaway to large corporations and wealthy americans. 83 of that tax giveaway went to the wealthiest people in this country. Immediately, we went into the covid19. As ive said repeatedly, Donald Trumps negligence in recognizing the risk. We turned out that he did recognize that risk. He said nothing about it. That coupled with the comp ncompetence of his team. They cut so many budgets. We are upside down. We will fight our way out of this by building our economy from the bottom up. We will build a more equitable. E will make sure Small Businesses get resources to grow and hire more people. Ake sure we have support for working people. Child care. To make sure we can have an economy that lets us grow out of this incredible burden weve been put under by this tax cut. Moderator what should congress o about the deficit . Mr. Gardner continue to support our economy to get through this economic crisis driven by the andemic. We have to protect Social Security and medicare. Social safety nets. We have to make them as strong as possible while we grow the economy. We need to make sure that we have a Regulatory Environment that encourages investment, job creation. Those are the things we can do to balance our budget to handle the debt and deficit situation. Make no mistake. When hickenlooper was governor, he led the state of colorado, increasing its budget at the highest rate of all states but one. The biggest spending increase of all states but one. That state with north dakota. He supported billions of dollars of tax increases. When he says he wants to eliminate the 2017 tax cuts, that will increase taxes on coloradans from corner to corner. Is economic plan would put people like whole minors out of business. He brags about putting them out of business. Moderator thank you. 30 seconds to respond. Mr. Gardner lets be clear. Ive been endorsed by the commission to protect Social Security and medicare. Theyve been clear that cory gardner voted to make the age to qualify for medicare would be older, to make it longer to get benefits from Social Security, cutting resources for those nstitutions. The bottom line is, we will have to work our way through this economy by working together. We cant keep pointing fingers and attacking people, calling hem names. Moderator thank you. We will continue on. The median Student Loan Debt for American Adults 17,000. Should congress be doing something to address this . If so, what . Mr. Gardner im one of the only members of congress that has a tudent loan. Im the third youngest member of the United States senate. My student loan is held at the niversity of colorado. I understand exactly what this means. We need to continue the work we are doing on grants to make it more affordable. To recognize industry programs to make it more for will. I passed legislation that allows certain education dollars to be used for dual enrollments to ensure that college, more is paid for in high school so you can get into High School Year ahead. When it comes to Student Loans themselves, i introduced a bill that would allow employers to pay their employees a portion of heir student loan. The employer wouldnt have to pay tax on that. Its connecting people, making it work, lowering the cost of tuition. Tuition and colorado increased by over 65 . 176 Million Dollars was added to the student loan burden in colorado under his watch. Moderator mr. Reagan looper hickenlooper . Mr. Hickenlooper bsolutely. We need to increase pell grants. We should recognize that cory gardner voted 10 times to reduce pell grants instead of increase them. We should allow students to renegotiate the Interest Rate and come down to a lower Interest Rate. Orey voted against that on a couple of occasions. He has also refused to increase, to allow them to work off the debt that they owe by doing work in row areas in health care or education. The bottom line is, we have to reduce the cost of college. We have to allocate more resources, increase pell grant. We have to make colleges a sliding scale. If you have no money, they are free. Every kid knows that they can get a college education. They can get the skills to have great life. Thats not happening. Mr. Gardner he mischaracterized a bill i introduced a bill to make sure we got more people into rural areas for education. Particularly veterinarians. You are saying you want to reduce the cost of tuition today. When you were governor, when you were head of the colorado education system, you were in charge. Tuition increased 65 in colorado. Colorado students had an additional 176 million financial burden added to them under your watch. You want to go to congress to ix it . Why didnt you fix it when you ad eight years to do it . Moderator you can respond. Mr. Hickenlooper to take things out of context, to distort statistics, it will never get us anywhere. We increased funding from the state for Higher Education at the largest level in more than a ecade. A difficult budget years, we looked at making sure that more ids get to school. We took a model that was originally in just a few cities. Now, apprenticeships. Kids who wont go to college can get that same job opportunity that everyone else gets. Moderator our next question from justin. This came up earlier. In 2018, you appointed a judge and well county by the name of ryan camada. He pled guilty to cocaine trafficking. Why did you appoint him . R. Gardner you hear the stories. Colorado has an independent, Bipartisan Commission that goes through all of the candidates for every judicial nomination and every judicial appointment. They would recommend three finalists up to the governors office. We had a team of people that would go through and get hem. I dont remember this judge. Based on the evidence weve seen, he should not be a judge. Look at what cory gardner has one in supporting 210 out of 214 judges. Let me tell you, one of those judges was not approved by cory gardner because that judge was to not conservative enough. We have to look at justice. Right now in washington, what they are trying to do is remake the federal court, trying to ram through as many conservative judges as they can. They are sacrificing everything in that pursuit. Mr. Gardner there were three appointees put forward. Three nominees were put forward. John hickenlooper choose the chose the one that covered up a ocaine ring. He has a justice that was a Campaign Donor. Heres the question i have for john. I will give you some of my time again. Earlier, you said no answer when it came to packing the courts. You have five seconds. Will you vote to pack the courts . Moderator we will move on. We already discussed that topic. Your rally with President Trump in Colorado Springs in past february. Dozens of people were in attendance. Among them, people wearing aspect outfits supporting the qanon conspiracy and proud oys. What is your message to the proud boys who came to watch you speak in Colorado Springs, and who will cast a ballot for you . Mr. Gardner i dont know if you can say that. I condemn them in the strongest terms. We must call hate for what it is. We must make sure we stop the injustice that weve seen in our communities because of discrimination and hate. There is no room for weitzer white supremacy. There is no room for intelligence intolerance. There is no room for white supremacy. I condemn them, as i have, in the strongest terms possible. We need to do more when it comes to justice and equality. We need to make sure we are fighting for things like the justice act in the United States senate. We continue funding historically black colleges and universities like i did. We can do these things to end the injustice, inequality and make a difference. We have to make sure that we speak loudly, as i will continue to do, stand against hate, dissemination, white supremacy. Moderator that brings us to our next line of questioning. These are quick yes or knows. O you condemn weitzer premises white supremacy. Yes. Mr. Gardner yes. Moderator you condemn the plot to kidnap and kill the governor . Mr. Gardner yes. Mr. Hickenlooper yes. Moderator do you believe that credit president s words have nspired the mystic domestic terrorism . Mr. Hickenlooper quite possibly. Mr. Gardner i hope not. Moderator we are going to move on. Colorado has relied on mailin ballots since 2014. Both of you have been elected during allmale elections. Do you have faith in colorados election system . Mr. Hickenlooper yes. I helped create it. T was the clerks from around the state, republicans and democrats, who created our allot as a national model. Weve been able to have high turnout at a lower cost. We save six dollars per voter. At the same time, we are limiting audits that we do throughout the balloting. It demonstrates that we have no more questionable ballots than ny other traditional election. Within all of this, donald trump continues to attack, especially states like colorado. Donald trump things this will be the fun unfair election that will not allow him to accept the results in some way. Cory gardner hasnt said a ord. We were the secondhighest turnout in 2018. Ts more accurate. It is safer. Would hope that corey would get a chance to talk to President Trump, and express how important it is that states like colorado are the national model. Moderator same question to you. Do you have faith in colorados election system . Mr. Gardner yes. I have talked about that around the country. The denver post had to correct itself on a story today because they got it wrong about my defense of colorados mailing ystem. Where im concerned is what washington, d. C. Wants to do to take over and federalize our state election systems. A bill that John Hickenlooper supports would eliminate the voter signature verification on ballots. We do a great job in colorado. Our signatures are verified. Thats not the bill that John Hickenlooper supports. That bill would also allow the attorney general of the United States to overturn a local county clerk decision. He credited the county clerks for doing a great job. They do a wonderful job in colorado. He supports a bill that would allow the attorney general to federalize their decisions. Lets fight hard for colorado. You hear that two sets of rules that hickenlooper applies. Moderator we will let you respond to that. Mr. Hickenlooper im not sure what hes talking about. In the course of the campaign, we hear about all kinds of bills. That gets lumped into a larger bill. Im not sure what hes talking about. If hes talking to President Trump, he should more be more explicit that having an allmail ballot is highly efficient, lowers cost, and is safe in the time of covid. The fact that President Trump continues to make these allegations is frustrating. Moderator we will give you each 30 seconds to answer this ollowup question. Do you trust the election system in states which are using mailin ballots for the first time . And do you promise to accept the outcome of the president ial election . Well, of course. Thats what we do in a democracy. We accept the results of the outcome. If they follow colorado lead, it will be feveraget im sure there are safeguards that they have implemented themselves. I know clerks are working to make it safe and secure. Im proud of the work that our second stairs do across the country that our county clerks do across the done tremendous. Lets make sure were learning from the best. And implement the things weve done. Moderator do you promise to accept the outcome . I do trust all those results. And i will accept the outcomes. I do again find it troubling that President Trump continues to attack these systems and is building a foundation in which hes going to allege all kinds of improprieties and unfairness except to an occasional comment to a local reporter, we dont hear corey gardener on National Cable or print talking about that the president is wrong here. This is a classic case where youve got to call out to get back to power. Thank you. We are going turn our attention to the issue of Climate Change. And justin will begin our questioning. Large portions of the state are dealing extreme droughts. Wildfires have burned nearly 500 square miles. We both you both have said the climate is changing. Lets begin with a yes or no. Do you accept that it is primarily due to human activity . Yes. Mr. Hicken looper . Yes. That will be many thousands of coloradan without a job. Are they right about that . This is a transition thats going the take a significant period of time. And that transition will be three, four, five times more creative. Were going to lose from the old economy. Mr. Gardner, youve made those. If you work in oil and gas, hes going to take your job. 2030 colorado yans are going to lose your job because hes decide the job wasnt good enough for him. Its about fighting for someone who ants to have that job, who values the work theyre doing. I spoke to a person in craig, colorado. You raven tv ads about closing down cole mines. Bragging about the hundreds of people twho lost their job. He looked at me. And he said what did i do wrong to lose my job if for government to tell me im not worthy of this job. You want to put them out of work. Youve told them that your decisions making is better than their own. That is outrageous. I said nothing of the kind. And the bottom line is Market Forces are changing our economy. Were in the process right now f changing two colede fire plapts. And for the first time the prices the monthly electric bill is going to do down. Now, we have clean energy and clear air at a lower cost. And thats going to happen again and again and again, the challenge is how do you make ure you get out ahead of it. Which is what corey garthners has done. You have to get out a lovely hair. Make sure that we provide incentives to get more jobs than those rural places where theyre needed. We created jump start colorado to do just that. And i think those are the kind efforts are going to make a inches. Mr. Garthner, is the closer our f two coal plants. If theyre going to move to clean energy and have a job to get to them, yes, absolutely. Its a good thing we have those jobs. But what he has said is that theyre going to lose their job. He didnt ask if it was okay. Them. Re going to lose well transition you to a different job whether or not you want it or not. That is that command and control aspect that he want to take to washington because of our exun. Governor, youve this is the most negative campaign that you have ever run. How many names have you called me today . Horse whatever you call it. Youve called me all kinds of rains. The people of the state who deserve more. Who deserve somebody who is going to find for them. One in washington. One here. Anyone offer them are about the people of colorado. Would you like to respond . I know what tes in the mid 1980s. And and youve got to pull yourself up by the boot straps. Youve got to work with my friends and neighbors. Of course will, you you know i always feel like imi said if bill had been calling. Exy mitt to others. I mean, its about time to tell the truth. Already, gentlemen, we are going to take a break. We will regroup and be right back after this commercial break. Moderator ive been asking people to send up their questions. This came from julie and ask. Dont feel they have a way to engage with their federally elected officials. Uniquely they have believes youly serve as statewide offices. Will you change the way you interact with your constituents. So thank you, julie. Sbrment thats good question. You know, im proud in my eight years as governor, i went all over the state. Every group. T with and im not sure we were successful. We would do four town halls every year. And to make sure that those town halls are accessible to all different constituencies. You know, my one commitment. Is to make sure that there will never ban cardboard hick. You know, srt there were a number of years. And his willing to get rid of the Affordable Care ack. He really didnt do any taun howl meeting. I want to overdeliver. Mr. Gardner, how will you change the way you interact. I think its better looking and a lot taller than i am. Like, i we try every away possible. And change constantly. Its town halls. Its main streak walks, trying to have online chat session and hone calls and employ yeses across we have done that over and over again. I want to make sure that fall four corners are hurt. I fought hard to make sure you that the majority communities came from funding. They werent getting the access. We need to make sure by have under banked. And get the access that they need. That came from zoom engagements during the middle of a pandemic. Do you remember calling the people of rural, colorado, backwards . L. Gentlemen hls you want to respond, givel you you 30 seconds. Its totally of. We will move on, then. Thank you, here in colorado its voters who will decide on whether to ban abortion for two weeks. I would like to know if you sup mort this ban . Im i support the initiative. Mr. Hicken looper. I dont. And to decide the healthcare that she receives. I think show should have broad access. The tools that allow me to make the decisions for her and who she is. While i was governor, we worked very hard. We had the Planning Initiative where we reached out and sponded to multiple conversation. Over 30,000 young women between the ages of 15 and 25 e reduced portions by 64 . Healthcare is a right. Its not a privilege. Women have an absolute right to the healthcare of their own body. We dont want to be government between a womannd her doctor. I always thought it was a yes or no question. We need to stop the politics and the partisan of this debation. Wurn of the bills i usinged. Make sure that we allow 24 hours, seven day as beak access. Its no longer. Like ver wade. Already. Justin . Can i respond to that . Quickly. You knower, it doesnt in any the cost. But by making lower no longer can get that Birth Control and i think it is taking the choice away from women rather than expanding their options. We are going to move on now. Thank you. Justin . The greatest share of colorados voters are now registered as unaffiliated so i want to hear from both of you. What is your party failing to do that makes people not want to belong to it . Been toal has always try to represent all coloradans. When i ran for mayor of denver, first the suburbs hated denver, denver hated the suburbs, and i said if i was elected mayor of denver, i would work to raise up the entire metropolitan area, and i did that. Deborah water reduced per capita consumption by 25 , to make sure there was more water not just for the suburbs, but for farmers and ranchers. I want people to Work Together with our water plan. We had the first water plan in the history of colorado and get over 30,000 people to work on that plan. They were republicans, democrats, independents, and that should be a better goal for government, to build bridges and alliances, like we did with the Environmental Community and the oil and gas industry to create the first methane galatian in regulations in the country. Methane is 30 times worse than co2 on Climate Change and we were the first state to make it get it done by getting people to Work Together, republicans and democrats. Senator gardner it is about respecting ideas and differences of opinions. It is about listening, goals we can achieve and accomplishments. If you go into my office is, i my office, any of my offices, i have a Mission Statement on the wall, the answer is yes, now can we work to get there . Now maybe we are not going to always agree. Maybe at the end of the day, we may not achieve what we set out to achieve, but we are going to work our darndest to make sure we get the job done for the people of colorado. That is why the Great American outdoors act is the most successful, important investment in public lands in the history of our country. It is as big as what Teddy Roosevelt envisioned when he created our National Park system. That is bringing together ideas from disparate quarters to make sure we hear from everyone and not just act on some. It is important to do that. But what you here tonight is somebody who sets out two sets of rules. He brags about bringing oil and gas together, but then he brags about putting them all out of work. Can i respond to that . Moderator 30 seconds. Mr. Hickenlooper he talks about the Great American outdoors act and he voted twice to take away funding from the National Park service. Now he wants to give it back. He wants to paint himself as an environmentalist because he was able to convince Mitch Mcconnell to throw him a bone, supported by every democratic senator there was, but he wont support the core act. The core act is protections for 400,000 acres and the county commissions in which that land is located have also poured promised back it and he turned his back and changed his mind. Senator gardner can you name the four parts of the core act . The which . The bill . What are the four parts . You know what, we are going to move on. He doesnt know. He doesnt know. Moderator we are going to move on. We have 14 minutes left and a lot of territory. Earlier this week, justices thomas and alito wrote the Supreme Court case legalizing gay marriage was incorrectly decided, and damaging to religious liberty under the first amendment. Many in the Lgbt Community are concerned the court might overturn its own ruling. Do you believe Marriage Equality is the settled law of the land, or an issue the Supreme Court should revisit . Mr. Gardner . Senator gardner it is the settled law of the land as the Supreme Court has ruled. Moderator thank you. Mr. Hickenlooper. Mr. Hickenlooper yes. And i was involved in those struggles while i was governor, and heard many stories of how peoples lives were impacted by the status quo, the inequality. And to finally get that settled, it has just changed lives for so many coloradans and so many americans. And i certainly hope it is the settled law of the land, although certainly with the rush to confirm Amy Coney Barrett, one has to be concerned about these things that we thought were settled and well taken care of. Moderator we are going to go to yes or no questions now, gentlemen. Do you support a pathway to citizenship for all undocumented people, not just dreamers, mr. Hickenlooper . Mr. Hickenlooper yes. Moderator mr. Gardner. Senator gardner yes. Moderator do you support legalization of marijuana at the federal level . Senator gardner i have worked hard to make state legalizations occur. Yes. Moderator mr. Hickenlooper, do you support legalization of marijuana at the federal level . Mr. Hickenlooper yes, we have to decriminalize it at the federal level, absolutely. Moderator do you support raising federal minimum wage to 15 per hour . Mr. Hickenlooper over a period of time and regionally allocated, yes. Moderator mr. Gardner. Senator gardner we should get to 15 per hour by growing our economy. Moderator you dont believe we should raise the minimum wage . Senator gardner reports have said we will lose millions of jobs. Moderator thank you. Should William Perry pendley still be in leadership at the bureau of Land Management . Mr. Gardner . Senator gardner he hasnt been confirmed or had a hearing yet. Moderator should he be in a leadership role . Hes not been confirmed and the courts have said he is not. Moderator that is not the question, sir. Senator gardner we have to have a hearing on this. Moderator mr. Hickenlooper, should he be in a leadership role . Mr. Hickenlooper no. Of course not. He is making decisions he shouldnt be making. Moderator do you support cities setting up camping areas for on unhoused people . Mr. Hickenlooper each city has to make their own decision, by support more affordable housing. Moderator that is yes to setting up designated camping areas. Yes, with local controls. Senator gardner if the communities agree to that, yes. Moderator thank you. Do you support term limits for senators . Mr. Gardner . Senator gardner yes. Mr. Hickenlooper . Mr. Hickenlooper yes. Moderator should Law Enforcement officers have qualified immunity . Mr. Hickenlooper that could be negotiated. Senator gardner yes, but we have to come together as a community. Moderator social media platforms have a huge amount of power over our conversations, like facebook and twitter Fact Checking the president s tweets. How do you balance freedom of speech and Free Enterprise against negative consequences allowing conspiracy theories and falsehoods to spread unchecked . Mr. Hickenlooper we have got recognize that this is a serious, serious challenge. We have never seen the immense power concentrated in such a few number of media outlets. And we have never seen foreign governments intruding into our elections, into our negotiations of business, and by all means we have to make sure that we are able to recognize, in a country based on free speech and individual rights, make sure those rights are protected but it the same time, that those freedoms cant be used to harm our democracy. Absolutely, there has to be a recognition of limits and standards we can set for what is real and what is propaganda, or lies. Moderator mr. Gardner. Same question to you. Senator gardner we have to be very aware of censorship of ideas, whether on the left or the right, and i am concerned 2000 censors in San Francisco may create that kind of censorship that is against freedom of speech. Perhaps the only thing worse than 2000 sensors in San Francisco is 2000 censors in washington, d. C. We have to hold the businesses accountable to do it and that is why we need to look at section 230 to make sure we hold people accountable for outright lies in foreign interference to make sure it doesnt happen. But we cant allow speech, whether left or right, to be censored. That is what you are starting to see. People are put in the twitter jail because they have some sort of idea that somebody in San Francisco disagrees with. Governor hickenlooper speaks of foreign interference, yet he recently said china isnt anything to worry about, they dont want to dominate the world. That is exactly what we are dealing with, the concerns with a country like china who is very much trying to interfere in our election. Moderator thank you. Our viewers have overwhelmingly wanted us to keep things positive tonight. They say they are sick of negativity and divisiveness. So if you had to give yourself a grade, a being the most positive campaign, f being the most negative, how have you done in 2020 . Mr. Gardner. I think you will start. Senator gardner im not going to grade myself. The people of colorado will be doing that. There is optimism in every valley in this country and that is why i have cosponsored and passed more legislation then the entire colorado congressional delegation, because of the belief in the people of colorado, the optimism our pioneers brought with us. It is why i am the thirdmost bipartisan member of the senate, because i work on behalf of the people of colorado and what you have seen tonight is a clear difference between two people who hope to lead at least one seat in the United States senate. There is a strong difference between the two of us. It is a difference of ideas, a difference of putting the people of colorado first, the difference of believing in a persons ability to choose their own job and stay in their own job because they like it. And they want to fight for their family. Im from a tiny town on the Eastern Plains of colorado and people wouldnt be there but for the positivity and optimism colorado brings, because it is a tough life in farming and agriculture. That is why while we may contrast, we still believe in this state. Moderator thank you. Mr. Hickenlooper. Mr. Hickenlooper i would have a hard time giving myself a grade as well, but if i had to, i would give myself a b. I thought i could get through this campaign without any negative ads or contrast ads. I was elected mayor of denver twice and elected governor twice, managed to do that in pretty tough elections, but once there are so much distortions and lies and exaggerations and i figure, if they are spending that much money telling lies about me, i needed to tell the truth about cory gardner and point out that he has been rolling back, voting nine times to get rid of protections for people with preexisting medical conditions. He voted to put a coal lobbyist in charge of the epa had rollback protections for clean air and clean water. Donald trump says cory gardner supported me 100 of the time. The Amy Coney Barrett nomination he said, corey, you have to get in line. Six hours later, corey was at the microphone. I think we need to tell both sides of the story. Moderator thank you. Gentlemen, we have allowed and we have agreed that each of you will get 60 seconds for a closing statement. We want to do that now. Mr. Gardner, you get to go first. Senator gardner i believe in the power of colorado, the people of colorado, this state is a four corners state made incredible by pikes peak and the burlington carousel and craig, colorado and everything in between. Im the only statewide elected official who doesnt live within 30 miles of denver. Im the only statewide elected official from rural colorado. I believe i 70 doesnt end at vail, doesnt end at strasburg, there is more to the state and we have to fight for opportunity for every single position and every single corner and that is exactly what i have done for the last six years. I would be honored to earn your vote because that is what i will do the next six years, to create more opportunity, not less. To make sure we have a cleaner environment, not worse, to have that optimism to climb that next peak, to reach that next arising, because that is who we horizon, because because that is who we are in colorado, that is what we do come into the rest of the country when it comes to colorado, you aint seen nothing yet. The best is still to come from us. Moderator thank you. Mr. Hickenlooper. Mr. Hickenlooper thank you, kaitlyn and justin, and Channel Seven for the opportunity. As i predicted at the beginning, we saw a barrage of attacks from cory gardner, exaggerations and lies and distortions. But i think most of you saw through this. We have to recognize the stakes are so high. We have to make difficult decisions. We have to are we going to protect health care for people with preexisting conditions or take it away . Are we going to address Climate Change headon and protect our environment or continue to roll back clean air and water protections . Are we going to continue trillion dollar giveaways to the wealthiest individuals and corporations or rebuild our economy that is more fair to everyone . Are we going to have a senator that stands with donald trump 100 of the time, or who stands up for colorado . That is why i am asking for your he support and i want your vote, together, we can change washington. Thank you so much. Moderator thank you both. We want to thank everyone watching, everyone who came into the studio safely to make this debate happen tonight. We know it was important to colorado. Thank you from Colorado Public Radio and the denver post, our partners tonight. The nba finals are next on Channel Seven. If you are looking for a replay of the debate, download the denver7 app or head to the election 2020 section of our website, thedenverchannel. Com. Who will control congress in january . On all theed competitive congressional races leading up to election day with cspans campaign 2020 coverage. Watch the candidates debate and Election Results on cspan. Cspan. Org ort listen on the free cspan radio app. Cspan, your unfiltered view of politics. Monday night on the communicators, charlie mitchell, author of a new book on cybersecurity talks about the administrations approach to cybersecurity and how its efforts compare with previous administrations and those of other countries. The message the u. S. Government has been really pressing on industry and the top leaders is person in an organization really has to personally take responsibility for cybersecurity and show that they are is aested and this cultural value within their organization. The government is telling that to companies and i would think the same thing should apply to the government. Watch the communicators on cspan2. The competition is on. Be a part of this years cspan video competition. Middle and high school students, be a part of the National Conversation by making a documentary exploring the issue you want a president and congress to address in 2021. Be bold with your documentary. Show supporting and opposing points of view and include cspan video. For the winner, there is 100,000 dollars in total prizes, including a grand prize of 5,000. The deadline to submit is january 20, 2021. Informed. Youll find a confrontation competition rules and more information at our website, studentcam. Org. On the eve of of day one of the Supreme Court confirmation hearing for Amy Coney Barrett, several members of the Senate Judiciary Committee Talk about the nominee and the process
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