c-span. >> democrats need to pick up four seat in the november elections to win a majority and u.s. senate. according to the cook political report 15 of the 35 senate races are considered competitive including the contest in colorado where incumbent republican cory gardner recently debate democratic candidate john hickenlooper. >> with "the denver post" and colorado public radio presents the first televised english language debate between the two candidates for u.s. senate, a race which will help shape our countries future. moderator tonight, denver seven -- >> pdvsa to be joining us tonight. i am joined tonight by caitlin and justin, and we want to think our candidates cory gardner and john hickenlooper for being here with us tonight and yes, they are socially distanced and

following all coronavirus protocols. yes both are being tested regularly and quick reminder about the rules for two nights debate. candidates will have 60 seconds to answer most questions, 30 seconds to answer follow-up questions. we also ask specific yes or no questions throughout the debate and this goes without saying but we're asking both candidates to please refrain from interrupting one another. we have a lot ofus territory to get through tonight so we must start with the pandemic and we've seen the consequences, economic devastation especially for the lowest wage workers, people of color hit disproportionately, kids andnd adults struggle with mental health, suicide climbing. monday the president tweeted don't be afraid of covid. don't let it dominate your life. 2000 coloradans have died and another 75,000 been diagnosed with coronavirus during the pandemic senator gardner let's start with you. as a member of the senate are you proud of the way republican majority is handling the

pandemic? you proud of the way that the republican majority is handling the pandemic? sen. gardner: we have to improve our work every day. republicans and democrats coming together to do the job to help us get through this pandemic. i am proud of the work i have done with the governor to provide hundreds of thousands of covid-19 tests, that i helped us secure from korea. the governor 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. 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. a couple weeks ago, we had a bill on the floor of the senate to make sure we had a chance to support coloradans, to extend unemployment benefits and allow businesses a second loan, but unfortunately john hickenlooper opposed the vote. he would've 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 covid-19, 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. let's 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 pre-existing conditions. that is why i have introduced legislation to protect. people with pre-existing 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 pre-existing 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 pre-existing 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 hickenlooper's 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 pre-existing 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 let's 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 pre-existing 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 pre-existing conditions. there's 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. let's 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 rosie's 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 would've provided dollars for businesses and ppe. that bill would've passed of the

senate if we had bipartisan support, but unfortunately john said that he would've 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 state's 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 would've 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 trump's 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 i'm -- 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 i'm -- 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 presidential 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 governor's 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 don't 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 can't 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. it's me about -- it is surprising. moderator: we have a follow-up 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 would've 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 230,000 coloradans will lose their job. is at the current economic planh you havee for this state? these are people that are live with in my neighbors come in my neighborhood. they are my family members. yet we have at administration

uttered joe biden and john hickenlooper that would destroy our economy. for donald trump? mr. gardner: i'm proud of the work we have done together, to open up the bureau of land management headquarters. i'm proud of the work we've done. let's be proud of the work we've done. we will bring people together. we need to make it about the people of colorado. you know what's wrong with washington, d.c.? you send people there that are dedicated to a partisan fight. instead of working together. i'm the third-most bipartisan member of the united states senate. john thinks it's all about him. that's why he wants to go there. e admits it. moderator: i did not hear an answer. mr. gardner: it's 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: i'm not going to support a socialist. i'm not going to support a socialist. moderator: thank you. mr. hickenlooper, your time to respond. >> 30 seconds please. mr. hickenlooper: i think resident trump's negligence in addressing covid-19, 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 idn't 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. let's return to where those are coming from. the dark money republican group recognizes they can't defend cory gardner's record.

he's trying to roll back protections for people's pre-existing 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 can't run on t. they spent $20 million attacking me over the course of the summer. that's 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. african-american 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. i've led legislation like the american innovation and competitiveness act to make sure we have training opportunities. the bill i supported a couple weeks ago would've provided additional dollars for businesses like women owned businesses across the state of colorado. john hickenlooper would've voted against that relief. we can't leave people behind. i don't understand why he's 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 hasn't 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 didn't 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. it's long overdue that the senate and washington should take this on and make sure it's a level playing field for everyone. moderator: our next question comes to us from colorado springs. take a listen. >> thank you. good evening. covid-19 impacted colorado's tourism economy in many ways. we spent months profiling business owners who are eager to rebound. here's what we were told in april. >> we are holding our own. it's 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 it's like to be responsible for making payroll for the welfare and capacity of your employees to pay rent. it's 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 can't 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 haven't gotten sufficient testing capacity even to this day. it's unbelievable, it's unconscionable that we don't

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 isn't 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, let's socially distance and stop this business for now to get through this. the government needs to respond. i'm working on the restaurant act to provide $101 billion to -- $120 billion to keep restaurants open. that's why i'm part of the rehire america plan, to cover the salaries of employees. it's why i'm 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. it's why we passed the great american outdoors act. it's 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 it's 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 tom's 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 there's two sets of rules. president trump, we don't 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 trump's 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. let's 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 weren't 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 can't trust because he things it's all about him. if it's all about him, he won't 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 can't defend his record. he will keep attacking me all night. i don't think it's 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 isn't 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 covid-19. as i've said repeatedly, donald trump's 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 we've 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: let's be clear. i've been endorsed by the commission to protect social

security and medicare. they've 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 can't 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: i'm one of the only members of congress that has a tudent loan. i'm 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 wouldn't have to pay tax on that. it's 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 grant's 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. that's 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 didn't 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 won't 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 governor's office. we had a team of people that would go through and get hem. i don't remember this judge. based on the evidence we've 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. here's 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 don't 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 we've 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 mail-in ballots since 2014. both of you have been elected through all-male elections. do you have faith in

colorado's election system, mister hicken looper >> yes, i hope created. republicans and democrats created our all-male ballot as an international model demonstrated we've been able to have high turnout for silower cost. we saved six dollars for voters and at the same time doing that we have limiting audits so we do throughout the balloting, demonstrates that we have questionable ballots than in any other traditional election. but then in office donald trump continues to attack especially states like colorado where we send wiballots and this is going to be unfair election that's going to make, allow him not to expect the results in some way and cory gardner hasn't said a word . we had the second highest turnout in 2018. it's more accurate and

certainly in a time of covid it's safer so i would certainly hope that when we get the chance to talk to president trump again expresses how important it is that states like colorado or that are the national model. >> mister gardner, same question to you. you have faith in colorado's election system? >> i talked about that around the country, the denver post had to correct themselves in a story because they got it wrong about my defense of colorado's mailing system. where i am concerned and it's something john hickenlooper supports is what washington dc wants to do to take over and federalize our state election systems. a bill john hickenlooper supports wouldeliminate the voter signature verification on balance . our signatures are verified. let's stick with that but that's not the bill john hickenlooper said he would eysupport if you were elected to the united states senate. that bill would allow the di attorney general to overturn a local county court decision

. i think he just credited county clerks for doing a great job, they do awonderful job in colorado yet he supports a bill that would allow the attorney general to federalize their decisions. i fight hard for colorado but you can share those two rules , he says one thing here . [inaudible] >> mister hickenlooper two minutes to respond. >> i'm not sure what he's talking about, we hear about all kinds of bills and often times tyou're supporting an aspect of bill and then that gets something to a larger bill so i'm not sure what he's talking about. ili do think president trump should be a lot more explicit and thathaving an all-male ballot where everyone gets sent about to their home is highly efficient . increases turnout, lowers costs and is safe in a time of covid and the fact that president trump continues to make these allegations is questionable.

>> going to give you 30 seconds to answer this follow-up question. do you trust the election system since they are using mail ballots for the first time . and do you promise tonight to accept the outcome of the presidential election, mister gardner, you first. >> what we do in ademocracy. we accept the results of an election . and i hope that states are doing this for the first time or following colorado's lead. if they follow colorado's lead is going to be perfect and i'm sure if they have the safeguards they've implemented as well and i know the clerks and secretaries of state are working hard to make this safe and secure. i'm proudof the work that are secretaries of state do across the country and are county clerks do across the country. let's make sure we're learning from the best . let's implement the things we've done . >> do you trustthe election system and states which are using mail box for the first time and your promise to accept the outcome ?

>> to the best of my knowledge i trust all those results and i will accept the outcome. i do again find it troubling president trump continues to attack the systems and is obviously building a foundation by which he's going to allege all kinds of improprieties and unfairness and accept an occasional comment to a local reporter, you don't see cory gardner on national cable or international print talking about the president is wrong on this. this is a classic case where we got to call out this fact to power. >> gentlemen, were goingto turn our attention to the issue of climate change and adjusted when gardner will begin our question . >> states are dealing with drought, wildfires have burned nearly 5 square miles. there is dangerous debris in denver and elsewhere. you both have said that the climate is changing. let'sbegin with yes, sir no, do you accept the scientific consensus that climate change

is primarily due to human activity ? mister gardner . >> yes . >> mister hickenlooper. >> yes. >> you said you wanted to transition away from fracking, critics say that will leave many thousands of coloradans out of jobs . are they right about that? >> this is a transition that's going to take time and that transition is going to be three or four or fivetimes more jobs created as we transition to a clean energy economy . >> mister gardner you made those accusations. >> john hickenlooper just admitted if you work in oil and gas he is going to take your job. 230,000 coloradans are going to lose your job because he's decided your job isn't good enough for him. it's not about you, it's about the people of colorado and fighting for someone who wants to have that job, who values that job and the work they are bringing.

i spoke to a person in colorado who asked me a simple question. you ran tv ads about closing down all minds in craig coloradobragging about the hundreds erof people who bought their jobs . he looked at me and said what have i done wrong what have i done wrong to lose my job for the government to tell me i'm not worthy of this job ? you want to put them out of work . you've told them your decision-making is better than your own. >> that is outrageous. i said nothing of the kind and the bottom line is market forces are changing eour enemy, energy economy. we're in the process of changing to coal-fired plants by pueblo and replacing them with wind, solar and batteries and for the first time the price of monthly electric bills for consumers is going to go down. now all of a sudden we have clean energy and clean air at a lower cost. that's going to happen again and again. the challenge as any economy changes is how do you make sure you have the skills, training and support and get out ahead of it instead of just denying which is what

cory gardner's done and what president trump has done relentlessly. you've got to get out ahead and make sure you have the skills training to make sure people get into that economy and incentives to get more jobs in those rural places where they're needed. we're going to jumpstart colorado to do just that and i think those are the kinds of efforts that are going to make a difference, not what washington's doing which is grinding to a halt and stopping all progress around clean energy . >> mister gardner, is the closure of two coal plants a good thing in your mind? >> i don't think any time you lose jobs it's a good thing. if you're going to have a job,absolutely it's a good thing we have those jobs but what governor hickenlooper has said is there going to lose their job , 230,000 people. he didn't ask if it was okay for them to be fired, he just said you're going to lose them and were going to create some government program for youand transition you into a different job whether or not you want it .

at his command and control aspect he wants to take to washington of our economy because he thinks washington is best. governor, this is the most negative campaign you have ever run. you want to talk about name-calling, how many names have you called me tonight? or does whatever you call it, you called me all kinds of names and again, it goes back to the people of this state who deserve more. who deserve somebody who's going to fight for them, to champion theirjobs. you want to have it two ways. one in washington, one here. none of them are about the people of colorado . >> i know what it's like to be laid off, i was laid off in that recession in the mid-1980s. it is no fun. i get asked and you've got to pullyourself up by your bootstraps and work with your friends and neighbors and be able to do what you can . corey is worried about calling names and i said the bottom line is i got so many

lies thrown at me this election i've hardly had time to tell the truth about corey . >> going to take a break we will regroup and be right back after this commercial break . >>. >> we all been asking people to send in the questions and i wanted to askyou both a question , this came from julie gonzalez in denver and she asks i often hear communities of color don't feel they have a way to engage with their federally elected officials. uniquely both senator gardner and governor hickenlooper have certain state offices so if elected or reelected will you change the way you interact with your constituents and how so and mister hickenlooper, you can begin . >> thank you julie, that's a good question. i'm proud of my eight years

as governor. i went all over the state and i tried to get to every geographic corner there was and tried to meet with every group . i'm not sure we were always successful but i've taken the townhall pledge and i pledged to do at least for town halls every year. and to get, make sure those town halls are successful to all different constituencies. make sure we get to those broad diversity of colorado as we possibly can . i think that my one commitment is to make sure there will never be up cardboard. senator gardner, there were a number of years over the healthcare issues and his willingness to try to get rid of the affordable care act, to get rid of protections for people with pre-existing conditions, he didn't do any hall meetings for a number of years. i want to overdeliverin terms of townhall meetings . >> mister gardner, how will you change how youinteract with your constituents ?

>> you ought to try cardboard so i add that to the benefit. we tried every way possible to meet with constituents and we change constantly the ways we're doing to make it more effective . it's tell a townhalls, its main street watch, it's community meetings . trying to have online chat sessions and phone calls and engagements and employer employee town halls. across the state of colorado we have done that over and over again and i will continue to do that area i want to make sure all four corners are heard. i've fought hard to make sure our minority committees have access to more funding and that came from listening to communities, minority concessionaires that were getting the access they needed to make sure we have on bank and under banked communities access they need to our financial resources. came through zoom engagements over the last several months but john, while you went to the four corners of the state

do you remember calling the people of rural colorado western mark . >> gentleman,unless you want to respond i'll give you 30 seconds >> it's 10 years old, it's totally out of context . it's a whole different circumstance. >> we will move on then, caitlin kim continues our question . >> amy coney barrett's nomination put out speculation versus roe versus wade but it's voters who will vote and i want to know if yousupport this proposed ban . >> i'm a pro-life candidate and i support the initiative. >> okay, mister hickenlooper. >> i believe a woman has a basic right to control her own body and to decide the healthcare that she receives. i think that she should have brought access to tools that allow her to decisions for her and who she is. while i was governor we

worked very hard. we had the family planning initiative where we provided long-acting reverse contraception to over 30,000 young women between the ages of 15 and 25 but we reduce unintended pregnancies by 54 percent . we reduced abortions by 64 percent. healthcare is a right, not a privilege. women have a right to the healthcare of their own bodies . we don't want to put permit between a woman andher doctor . >> i thought that was a yes, sirno question, i apologize . we need to stop the politics and the partisanship of this debate. one of the goals i've introduced is a bill called the over-the-counter prescription legislation and it would make sure that we allow a 24 hour seven day a weekaccess to birth control. it takes the politics out of this debate and it's no longer a fight about roe versus wade, it's about giving people the power to make the best decisions .

>> can i respond to that first? that doesn't in any way lower the cost of birth control which is for many people prohibitively expensive. by making it over-the-counter the women who are getting coverage through medicaid no longer can get that birth control and i think it's taking the choice awayfrom women rather than expanding ftheir options . >> we are going to move on now, thank you. justin. >> the greatest share of colorado's voters are now registered as unaffiliated so i want to hear from both of you, what is your party failing to do that people increasingly seem to not want to belong to it and we will begin . >> i think my goal has always been to try to represent all coralcoloradans . when i first inherited, the suburbs hated denver and denver hated the suburbs and i went out there and said i was elected mayor i would work to raise up the entire

metropolitan area to area and i did that . we reduce per capita consumption by 20 percent within five years to make sure there was more water not just for the suburbs but farmers and ranchers. i wanted to get people to work together with our water plant. we created the first water plant in the history of colorado and we 30,000 people working, they were republicans, democrats, independents and i think that should be a better goal of government is to refine those ways where you can build bridges like we did with the environmental community oil and gas industry to create the first methane regulations in the country by getting people to work together, republicans and democrats. >> i think it's about respect and respecting ideas and differences of opinions.

it's about listening and working together for goals that we can achieve and accomplishments. if you go into any of my offices i have a mission statement that talks about the answer is yes, now how can we work together to get there and the navy were not always going to agree. maybe at the end of the day were not able to achieve what we set out to achieve or tried to achieve but we're going to work our darndest to make sure that we get the job done for the people of colorado. it's why the great american outdoors is the most successful investment in public lands in the history of our country. it's as big as something roosevelt envisioned and he created our national park system. that's bringing together the ideas of disparate corners to make sure we can hear from everyone and not just act on some area it's important we continue to do that but again, what you hear tonight is somebody who sets out to set the rules. he bragged about bringing oil and gas together and brag about putting them all out of work. >> thank you gentlemen. >> he talked about this great american outdoors at which he voted two different times to take funding away from the national park service and now he wants to get back . he wants to put himself as an

environmentalist because he was able to convince mitch mcconnell to throw him a bone , a bill supported by every senator there was but he still won't support the core act. the core act's protections 400,000 acres in the county commissioners in which that land is located at all .upported it corey promised to back it and he turned his back and changed his mind. >> i like to address that,can you name the four parts of the core act ? before part of the core act, do you know the bill? what are the four parts of the court? >> are going to move on. >>he doesn't know . >> we have 14 minutes left so a lot of territory. earlier emthis week justice thomas and alito wrote that the court case deciding religious freedom of marriage might try to overturn its own ruling. you believe marriage equality is a federal law of the land

or an issue thesupreme court should revisit ? >> i think it's the law of the land as the supreme court has ruled. >> mister hickenlooper. >> yes and i was involved in those struggles while i was governor and heard many of the stories of how people's lives were impacted by the status quo of inequality. and finally get that settled is just changes lives or so many coloradans, so many americans and i certainly hope it's the settled law of the land although certainly with ruthe rush to confirm amy coney barrett, one has to be concerned about some of the things we thought had been settled and welltaken care of . >> going to go to yes, sir no questions here gentlemen . do you support a pathway to nt citizenship for all undocumented people o, not just

dreamers. mister hickenlooper. >> i believe we can get there and we should. >> you support legalization of recreational marijuana at the federal level, mister gardner. >> i've worked hard to make this conflict go away,yes, the answer is yes . >> mister hickenlooper, do you support legalization of medical marijuana at the federal level. >> yes, we have to decriminalize it at the federal level. wa>> do you support raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. >> over a period of time and regionally allocated, we should get to $15 as a national policy. >> we should get to $15 an hour by growing our economy. >> so you don't believe we should raise the minimum. >> $15 and more by growing oureconomy . >> we've got a question, t? should william perry bentley still be in leadership at the

bureau of land management, mister gardner . >> he hasn't had a hearing yet. >> should he still be in a leadership role? >> is not been confirmed and the courts have said he's not . >> that's not the question. >> we have to have a hearing. >> mister hickenlooper, should he be in a leadership role. >> know and it's a role he should be making. >> do you support cities setting up camping areas for in-house people? >> each city has to make their own decision but i support more affordable housing g. >> so yes the setting up designated camping areas . >> yes, with local control. >> communities agreed tothat, yes . >> do you support the idea of term limits for senators, mister gardner . >> i be fine with that. >> should law enforcement officers have qualified immunity, mister hickenlooper . >> that can be negotiated. >> yes, we have to come together as a community to

get it right. >> we do live in a moment when privately owned social media platforms have power over our public conversation. facebook, banning conspiracy theory groups or fact checking the presidents tweets. how do you balance protecting freedom of speech and free enterprise against the negative consequences of allowing conspiracy theories and falsehoods to spread unchecked , mister hickenlooper. >> we've got to recognize this is a serious challenge. we've never seen the immense power concentrated in such a few number of media outlets and we've never seen before foreign governments shooting into our elections, into our negotiations of business and by all means we have to make sure that we are able to recognize and a country that's based on free speech and individual rights, we

have got to make sure those rights are protected but at the same time that those can be used the harm our democracy or taken apart absolutely there has to be a recognition of limits here and standards that we can set for what is real and what is propaganda or lies. >> mister gardner, same question to you. >> we have to be aware of censorship of ideas either it's on the left or the right. and i am very concerned that 2000 sensors in san francisco have me may create that kind of censorship that is against freedom of speech area perhaps the only thing worse than 2000 sensors and then san francisco is 2000 sensors in washington dc. mistress, actress, lies, we can't allow that to happen and we have to make sure we hold businesses accountable to do it, that's why we need to look at section 230 make

sure were holding people accountable for outright lies and foreign interference to make sure it doesn't happen but we cannot allow speech whether that's left or right to be censored and that's what you're starting to see, people who are put in the twitter jail room because i have put forward an idea that somebody in san francisco disagrees with. governor hickenlooper speaks of foreign interference yet he said china isn't anything to be worried about. they don't want to dominate the world, that's exactly what wereindealing with. the concern ofa country like china who is trying to interfere in our election . >> gentlemen, our viewers have overwhelmingly wanted us to keep things positive tonight . they say they're sick of the negativity and divisiveness so if you had to giveyourself a grade , a being most positive campaign, f being the most negative, how do you think you've done in 2020? mister gardner you can start. >> i'm not going to grade myself, the people of

colorado will be doing that soon enough but i believe that optimism in every veil and valley and that's what a cosponsor and passed into law more legislation than the entire congressional delegation because of that belief in the people of colorado. optimism with us.eers brought it's why on the third most bipartisan member of the u.s. senate because i worked together for and on behalf of the people of colorado and we've seen tonight is a clear difference between two people who hope to lead at least one seat in the u.s. senate. and there is a strong difference between the two of us, it's a difference of idideas and of putting the people of colorado for an itunbelieving in a person's ability to choose their own job and stay in that job because they like it and i want to fight fortheir family . i'm from the town in colorado and people wouldn't be there but for the positivity and optimism colorado brings because it's a tough life in farming and agriculture and that's why while we may contrast we still believe in this state .

>> mister hickenlooper. >> i've had a have a hard time giving myself a great you have to make these decisions, i give myself of the. i thought i would get through this campaign without doing any negative ads or any of the contrast adds. i was elected in denver twice and the governor twice and managed to do that in three top elections but once it got to $20 million of attack ads so much distortions and lies and exaggerations, i figured they're spending that much money telling lies about me, i needed to go back and tell the truth about cory gardner point out he has been rolling back, trying nine times to get rid of protections for peoplewith pre-existing medical conditions . these voted to put call lobbyists and charge of the epa and rollback protection for clean air and water yet donald trump says cory gardner supported me 100 percent of the time. the amy coney barrett he said

cory, you've got to get in line. six hours later it was at the microphone and i continue to tell both sidesof the story . >> gentlemen, we have allowed and we agreed that each of you will get 60 seconds for a closingstatement . we want to dothat now so mister gardner , you get to go for. >> i believe in the power of colorado and i believe in the people of colorado that the state is a four corners state have made incredible by pike's peak long before the burlington carousel and greg colorado and the grand junction and everywhere in between . i'm the only statewide elected official who doesn't live within 30 miles of denver. on the only statewideofficial from rural colorado . i believe i 70 doesn't end at strasburg. there's more to the state toand that we have to fight for opportunity or every single position and every single necorner and that's what i've done over the last six years and i'd be honored to earn your vote that's what i will do the next six years to make sure we create more opportunity, not less.

to make sure we have a cleaner environment and make sure we have that optimism to climb that next feat, to reach that next horizon w because that's who we are in colorado. that's what we do and to the rest of the country when it comes to colorado you haven't seen anything yet . the best is still to come . >> mister hickenlooper. >> thank you caitlin and justin, thank youfor the opportunity . as i predicted at the beginning, we felt the barrage of attacks from cory gardner, exaggerations and distortions but i think most of you saw through this. and we have to recognize we have h, the stakes are so high we have to make difficult wedecisions so we've got to protect healthcare for people with pre-existing conditions or are we going to take it away? are we going to address climate change and protect our environment or rollback clean air and clean water protections? are we going to get more iltrillion dollar giveaways to the wealthiest corporations and individuals or rebuild our economy that's more fair

to everyone? are we going to have a senator who stands withdonald trump 100 percent of the time or one who stands up for colorado ? nothings going to change in washington if we don't change it that's why i'm asking for your support. fyi want your vote. together, we can change washington . thank you so much. >> we want to thank everyone watching, everyone who came into the studio safely to make this event happen tonight. we know this was importantto colorado but thank you to colorado public radio and our partners in tonight's debate . game five of the nba finals is next on denver seven and if you are looking for news or replays of this debate, make sure to download denver seven app for apple tv or android device or head to the election 20/20 section of our website, the denver channel.com. i'll see you after the game thank you everybody .

>> president trump returns the campaign trail with a rallies in sanford florida north of orlando. live coverage starting at 7 pm eastern on c-span2. watch online at c-span.org or listen live using the free c-span radio app. >> republican senate majority leader mitch mcconnell and senate democratic candidate amy mcgrath take part in a televised debate. great television and the university of kentucky are sponsoring the event. live coverage at seven eastern on c-span, or listen with the free radio. >> this is an election year. we're confirming the judge in an election year after the voting has occurred . what will happen is that my democratic colleagues will

say this has never been done and their right in this regard. nobody i think has ever been confirmed in an election year passed july. the bottom line is justice ginsburg when asked about this several years ago said a president searched foryears, not three. there's nothing unconstitutional about this process . this is a vacancy that has occurred through a tragic loss of a great woman and we're going to fill that vacancy with another great woman. the bottom line here is that the senate is doing its duty constitutionally. that's what judge garland, the opening that occurred with the passing of justice scalia was in the early part of an election year but here's history as i understand it. there's never been a situation where you have the president of one party in the senate of another with a nominee that the replacement

was madein an election year, it's been 140 years ago . i think there have been 19 vacancies filled in an election year, 17 of 19 confirmed to the courtwhen the party is president and senate were the same . in terms of timing, but hearing is starting 16 days after a nomination. more than half of all supreme court hearings havebeen held within 16 days of the announcement of the nominee . stevens 10, rehnquist 13, lachman 15, berger 13. all i can say is that i feel that we're doing this constitutionally and our democratic friendsobject to the process . i respect them all. they'll have a chance to have their say but most importantly, i hope we will know more about how the law works, checks and balances . what the supreme court is all

about when this hearing is over. >> the supreme court confirmation hearing for amy coney barrett began today with opening statements from senators and judge barrett . watch day one of booktv.org's confirmation hearing tonight, starting at 8 pm eastern on c-span. >> republicans need to pick up 21 seats in the november elections to win a majority in the u.s.house . according to the cook political report 90 one of those races are considered competitive including new mexico's second district. the seat is held by democratic representative social taurus small elected to the house in 2018 and running against republican event hera . >> this is the ko before secondcongressional district debate . candidates working to earn your vote are democrat so she