LIVE BLOG: Colorado Governor's Debate - Behind The Scenes
Live Blog Compiled By: John Fenton
Editor's Note: This blog is being updated during CBS4's televised "CBS4/CPT12 Colorado Governor's Debate" on 10/5/18. Refresh this page for the latest information, and watch live here: CBSDenver | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube (6-7 p.m.)
7:05 p.m. - Panelists and analysts join Jim Benemann to share their impressions of the debate. Read the recap here.
7:00 p.m. - That's it! The hour flew by fast... Jim Benemann will have final thoughts in a moment, and we'll have a full recap on CBS4 News at 10.
You can watch the entire debate here:
6:50 p.m. - Candidates discussing immigration in Colorado
When asked if he supports making Colorado a sanctuary state, Democratic candidate Jared Polis answered, "No.'
When pressed about illegal immigrants, Polis responded that the issue needed to be addressed at a federal level.
"As governor we want to be sure that we can do the best we can with what we have so we want to make sure that we can protect our communities, to empower local law enforcement to use their limited resources to keep our communities safe. It's important that we allow access to education for the next generation of DREAMERS or aspiring Americans that will hopefully someday be American citizens when they work it out at the federal level," said Polis.
When asked if his administration would check a person's immigration status before providing services, Republican candidate Walker Stapleton responded, "No, I would not. I have narrowly defined sanctuary cities to be individuals who have entered this country illegally and committed a felony-type offense. Those are the people that I've defined, that we should not be giving safe harbor to. Those are the people that law enforcement is asking that Colorado have a uniform policy, so that local municipalities can use ICE detainers properly so the sheriffs, I have more than a dozen major county sheriffs who have endorsed me, don't have to be in legal limbo or legal jeopardy for simply keeping somebody who has committed a felony incarcerated and keeping their community safe. I, too, support the DREAMERS, but our immigration problems are a federal problem and Congressman Polis has been in Congress for 10 years, the federal government hasn't fixed our immigration problems and they need to. And Colorado has had to deal with it on a state level the very broken immigration system."
6:40 p.m. - Candidates discussing TABOR
Colorado's gubernatorial candidates Republican Walker Stapleton and Democrat Jared Polis discussed their views on changing the Taxpayer Bill of Rights during a debate Thursday night at CBS4.
"Do you support abolishing the spending caps in the Taxpayer Bill of Rights?"
"No, I do not… One of the reasons why Colorado's economy is growing and doing so well is because of the Federal Tax Plan. More than 70 percent of Coloradans have benefited," Stapleton said.
"I would support changing the caps in strong budgetary years and I'm open to having that discussion, yes," Polis answered.
6:32 p.m. - Candidates discussing their previous police records.
6:30 p.m. - Candidates discussing abortion in Colorado.
6:27 p.m. - Candidates discussing growth in Colorado.
The candidates were asked about their plans to reduce the cost of living in Colorado.
"Growth means jobs and jobs means growth. They are inextricably linked and that's why I said that my top priority will be to fix Colorado's crumbling infrastructure for the long term," said Republican Walker Stapleton. "We put forward a plan to do it. New bonding mechanisms from the general fund, which includes sports gambling, fixing the broken medical marijuana system, also we've done an analysis of Colorado and eight other mountain states and found out that if we actually spent the same amount per mile on maintenance charges that these other states did, we could have more than $150 million for bonding in the future. This is in contrast to Congressman Polis' radical plan which simply wants to invest in multi-modal transportation, under-utilized public transportation and bike lanes at a time when we have to be spending all of our money on roads and bridges, bridges and roads. Plus, he's going to drive so many jobs out of Colorado and bankrupt our economy that we're not going to have the tax bases to fix our roads, so he will solve the problem that people will be moving out of Colorado, they just won't be moving back."
"It seems like every time Walker talks it's 'noun, verb, Jared Polis, noun, verb, Jared Polis. I'm here to tell you about my plans. We have to invest in infrastructure because growth is very important. We have to make sure that growth actually works to improve the quality of life for Colorado families because what does growth mean when we have 3 percent unemployment, and it's very low, but for many families you may have gotten a raise but your rent is more, your 15 minute commute is now a 30 minute commute. Young families struggle with the high cost of childcare and we're focused on making more preschool and child care options available and saving families money on health care. So it's about how can we, yes, take this amazing economic growth and as someone who has created hundreds of jobs and started companies and met payroll, I bring that real world practical experience to the governorship and I can make growth work for every Colorado family," said Democratic candidate Jared Polis.
6:25 p.m. - CBS4 Political Analysts Dick Wadhams and Mike Dino watch the debate at CBS4. Some heated exchanges so far with both candidates talking over each other.
6:20 p.m. - Reporters from various Colorado media outlets watching the debate in CBS4's conference room.
6:15 p.m. - Producer Raetta Holdman, Director Ron Dill, Technical Director Gil Maestas, and News Director Tim Wieland in the CBS4 control room during the debate.
6:10 p.m. - Jared Polis sporting his trademark sneakers this evening.
6:00 p.m. - Showtime! Tune into CBS4 for the live debate, or stream online (links above).
5:55 p.m. - Walker Stapleton has won the coin toss and elected to ask the first question during the Head-to-Head segment.
5:52 p.m. - Polis, Stapleton, and Boyd moments before air.
5:50 p.m. - Moderator, panelists, and candidates getting mic'd up and getting a final run-through before the debate.
5:40 p.m. - Walker Stapleton and his camp. 20 minutes till debate time!
5:38 p.m. - Jared Polis has arrived, doing final preps before the debate.
5:20 p.m. - Walker Stapleton is in the building. Jared Polis is on his way.
5:13 p.m. - Two protesters, Matthew and Jadeus, have showed up outside the CBS4 studio at 10th & Lincoln to protest Proposition 112. If passed, would require future oil and gas projects in the state to be a minimum of 2,500 feet from occupied buildings and other vulnerable areas. It's one of the biggest issues on the ballot, and tonight we'll be asking Polis and Stapleton where they stand on it.
5:03 p.m. - CBS4's Shawn Chitnis showing us the set. Less than an hour now until the debate begins.
4:45 p.m. - By the way, the good folks at CBS4 are also working hard on our 5pm and 10pm newscasts. Debate preview at 5pm, debate at 6pm, and a comprehensive wrap-up at 10pm!
4:30 p.m. - Moderator Shaun Boyd is getting camera ready with makeup artist Beth Ryan!
4:06 p.m. - One of our media partners for tonight's debate, 630 KHOW, preparing to go live from the "radio room" at our studio.
4:00 p.m. - Just two hours away now! Candidates and their camps will be arriving soon.
3:40 p.m. - The Denver Post editorial board has just endorsed Jared Polis for Colorado Governor.
3:15 p.m. - "We're grateful to both candidates for committing to this important debate," said CBS4 News Director Tim Wieland. "This is an opportunity for voters in Colorado to hear from both candidates — beyond short sound bites and campaign commercials — on the most important issues facing our state."
3:00 p.m. - What can we expect from our candidates during this evening's debate? Yesterday, Shaun Boyd sat down with CBS4 Republican Political Analyst Dick Wadhams and CBS4 Democratic Political Analyst Mike Dino for a preview. They talk about what Polis and Stapleton each need to bring to the table tonight to sway voters.
2:45 p.m. - Right now our moderator, CBS4 Political Analyst Shaun Boyd, is finalizing the plans for the broadcast with Producer Raetta Holdman and News Director Tim Wieland.
2:30 p.m. - The stage is set for the first televised debate between Colorado's candidates for Governor, Democrat Jared Polis and Republican Walker Stapleton.
If you can't tune into CBS4 at 6pm to watch them square off, keep this page refreshed for updates, insights, and a look behind the scenes at what's happening inside the CBS4 studios.
CBS4 is proud to partner with Colorado Public Television 12, KOA NewsRadio, 630 KHOW and The Colorado Sun for tonight's debate.
