Senate candidates trade barbs at CC

Andrew Romanoff speaks to supporters outside of Worner last Friday. Romanoff and Michael Bennett are both vying for Senate seats

In one of the highest profile events to happen this year at Colorado College, current U.S. Senator Michael Bennett and former Speaker of the House Andrew Romanoff faced off last Friday in a candidate debate, as both vie to be the Democratic nominee for this year’s U.S. Senate election. The Colorado Springs Independent hosted the event in conjunction with local news station KRDO News Channel 13 and the Colorado College Political Science Department.

Though the candidates agreed on most of the issues, there were several moments where the two sparred over policy and strategy. Romanoff was consistently on the attack, portraying Bennett as a tool of corporate influence in Washington, D.C. 

“When push comes to shove, you don’t push and you don’t shove,” Romanoff said. 

Bennett held his ground, for the most part showing little concern over Romanoff’s attacks.

“Whatever policy differences we have are vanishingly small,” Bennett said. 

A telling moment occurred when the candidates were able to ask questions of each other. Romanoff again painted Bennett as an insider, accusing him of accepting money from a loan company that disenfranchised students, and asked him: “Is that just the way Washington works?” 

“I’ll tell you one thing, the only time I’m reminded of Washington is when you and I are debating,” Bennett responded.

The back-and-forth debating personified the way the candidates conveyed themselves to the audience and the cameras. 

Bennett spoke in a slower, more accessible manner, wore no tie, and highlighted the fact that he was not a politician by trade. For many questions he drew from his experience as superintendent of Denver area schools, which he said made him the most electable and accessible candidate to all Coloradans. 

Romanoff, by contrast, was energetic, dressed formally, and took time to work the room before the debate began. He said opportunities for progressive change had been missed, and that he would be a stronger advocate in Washington, D.C. 

“I am not a perfect messenger but I am the only candidate in this race willing and able to fix a broken system by turning down the corporate cash that corrupts it,” Romanoff said.

KRDO news host Eric Singer moderated the debate and, perhaps unintentionally, provided much of the comic relief for the event. 

Early in the event, he referenced the rules as “agreed upon by you and your handlers,” which provoked Bennett to lean in and retort: “I have no handlers.” Apart from also reminding viewers after each set of questions that they were participating in a “real-life civics lesson, right here, in Southern Colorado,” Singer accidentally flubbed the conclusion of the debate by attempting to end it before Romanoff had a chance to give his final remarks. 

“This is live television, and people make mistakes,” Singer joked with the audience. Overall, however, the debate moved in an efficient and accessible manner, and good questions from a wide range of topics were discussed.

Both Bennett and Romanoff are currently wooing delegates for the upcoming Democratic State Assembly but the final winner will not be determined until the August primary election. An assembly victory, however, would provide a sense of party unity and momentum heading into the election. 

Romanoff currently holds a solid lead in state delegates, but the fundraising totals for each candidate are a different story. Bennett, no doubt with the help of his Senatorial position, has pulled in a whopping $6.2 million with over $3.5 million cash on hand, compared to Romanoff’s $1 million and $500,000 in cash.

Some of the particular issues discussed at the debate included Afghanistan, in which both candidates expressed mistrust for President Karzai. Bennett was more willing to let President Obama continue his plan. Each candidates said they would work to repeal both the military policy of “don’t ask don’t tell” and the national Defense of Marriage Act, though Romanoff expressed more passion, framing both policies as human rights issues. On issues specific to Colorado, like the Army’s desired expansion into Pinon Canyon, the candidates also agreed that they would find other places for the army to move.

Despite the similarity in these policy positions, the debate provided a useful forum to evaluate the candidates in person and decide who to vote for in the upcoming primary.