Gov. Jared Polis and CU Regent Heidi Ganahl met for his or her last deliberate debate in Grand Junction on Tuesday night time because the campaigns enter the ultimate two weeks.
Just like the handful of conferences earlier than it, Tuesday’s debate — hosted by Colorado Public Radio, the Grand Junction Each day Sentinel and Colorado Mesa College — targeted on a spectrum of points, from water rights to crime and transportation to vitality. Additionally like these earlier than, the talk noticed each Polis and his Republican challenger transfer to acquainted floor, hammering their opponent on perceived weaknesses and recognized speaking factors.
Typically, these pivots got here on the expense of the particular query being requested by the talk’s moderators, questions that have been worthy of their very own consideration and solutions. Whereas a lot consideration is rightfully paid to what Polis and Ganahl stated, listed below are the questions that one — or neither — really answered.
Hurt discount
A key plank of Ganahl’s platform is crime, and far of that includes fentanyl. Overdose deaths in Colorado and nationwide have skyrocketed in recent times, a development that Ganahl — and Colorado Republicans usually — have sought to put on the toes of Polis and state Democrats.
A lot of Ganahl’s give attention to fentanyl has been on the felony facet; Polis’s responses have adopted largely in sort, although he’s famous efforts to deliver extra remedy beds to the state. On Tuesday night time, a moderator requested them about advancing hurt discount methods, that are coverage choices that can be utilized to assist preserve drug customers alive and scale back their probabilities of fatally overdosing till they’re in a position — or keen — to entry remedy.
Ganahl used the query to notice the variety of deaths in Colorado and spotlight mother and father she’s met who misplaced kids after they unwittingly ingested fentanyl. Polis talked about enhanced felony components in a regulation handed earlier this 12 months, earlier than briefly pertaining to the necessity for fentanyl take a look at strips (which have been funded in that invoice) and the state’s efforts to supply extra remedy beds to folks with substance-use problems.
However neither proposed any new or expanded hurt discount methods, whether or not that’s Narcan to reverse overdoses; funding extra take a look at strips to verify medicine for the presence of fentanyl; or any of the myriad different choices out there.
Homelessness
Shortly earlier than the harm-reduction query, the candidates have been requested about homelessness and what the statewide response needs to be. Homelessness — and housing affordability — are essential points throughout Colorado, and specialists warn housing stability might worsen as rental help applications close to an finish.
Truthful query or not, it prompted little substance. Ganahl knocked Polis for failing to handle the issue earlier than circling again to fentanyl, regulation enforcement and crime. Polis responded by criticizing Ganahl’s operating mate, Danny Moore, who Polis solid as an “election denier.” He then famous he had “employed away” Colorado Springs’ homelessness advisor to work for the state earlier than speaking concerning the want for extra reasonably priced housing and behavioral well being providers.
In her rebuttal, Ganahl defended Moore and stated she’d do the whole lot she might to repair the state.
Schooling
Gretchen Reist, the Each day Sentinel’s viewers engagement director and one of many debate’s moderators, requested the candidates if college districts in Western Colorado have been handled pretty by the state and what they might do to make sure all college students there obtained the identical training.
On the optimistic facet, neither used the query to pivot to crime or fentanyl. However nor did they reply the query: Polis, who answered first, opened by knocking Ganahl’s tax plan — which he’s ceaselessly performed throughout the debates — then talked usually about college funding, particular training and constitution colleges.
Ganahl responded to the query about Western Slope colleges by criticizing Polis’s carbon tax plan and defended her personal technique to chop the revenue tax. She praised constitution colleges, each within the Western Slope and in Boulder.
Neither gave a transparent response to Reist’s first query, about if Western Slope colleges are handled pretty.