While five candidates made their case to represent the Republican Party in the U.S. Senate, they could not escape the shadow of presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump at the 9News debate Tuesday night.
Each of them condemned Trump’s remarks about the judge in a lawsuit against Trump University. Trump said U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel is incapable of being fair to him because the Curiel is of Mexican heritage and Trump vows to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border to curb illegal immigration.
“He’s an American,” said former state Rep. Jon Keyser of Morrison. “The judge is American. That’s something that sounds racist to me.”
Former Colorado State University athletic director Jack Graham said Trump has lost his support but still has time to regain it by apologizing for the remarks.
El Paso County Commissioner Darryl Glenn denounced the comment but said of Trump, “You also have to look at the character of the individual making that statement. You have to delve a little deeper.”
Candidates also broke with Trump on his plan to ban Muslims.
“That’s not the American way. That’s not the Republican way,” said former Aurora City Councilman Ryan Frazier.
Said Colorado Springs businessman Robert Blaha: “I don’t think this is a religious issue. It’s a safety issue.”
At another juncture, on a question about fixing the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Glenn said he was glad President Barack Obama was leaving office and added, “The way you fix it is you send someone to Washington who carries the card,” referring to himself, an Air Force veteran. Trump, like Obama, is not a veteran.
The stakes were high for the candidates to make a good impression. Primary ballots were mailed out Monday, so early voters could have Tuesday night’s debate fresh on their minds.
On most other issues, the candidates agree: They support stronger immigration policy. They oppose Obamacare.
The June 28 primary will give one candidate the chance to face well-financed Democratic incumbent Sen. Michael Bennet in November. Bennet has no primary opposition.
Keyser fielded perhaps the toughest questions about his , including an ad in which he said Bennet wanted Iran to have a nuclear weapon. The veteran stood by the statement.
“I know there is such a thing as good and evil in the world,” he said. “There is black and white. You can’t have it both ways. You either want Iran to have a nuclear weapon, or you don’t want Iran to have a nuclear weapon.”
The candidates will face off twice more this week: Wednesday night at a debate sponsored by and Friday night at the Americans for Prosperity/KNUS economic debate in Broomfield. Their last scheduled meeting is June 22 at the in Castle Rock.
Democrats were ready to link Trump’s troubles to the GOP candidates before the debate began.
“Donald Trump’s racist rhetoric and offensive policy agenda have no place in our politics, and yet all of Colorado’s Republican Senate candidates support him for president,” Chris Meagher, spokesman for the Colorado Democratic Party, said Tuesday afternoon.
