The Republican and Democratic nominees for Colorado Senate took part in their only debate Friday, covering a wide variety of topics including immigration, the Inflation Reduction Act, and keeping Space Command in Colorado.
TRUMP TAKES AIM AT GOP CANDIDATE JOE O’DEA IN FINAL STRETCH OF COLORADO SENATE RACE
Immigration:
During the debate, Republican nominee Joe O’Dea said he would not support a bill that would give Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients a pathway to citizenship if it did not include funding for a border wall. However, he did say he would support a pathway to citizenship if it was part of a bill that did include funding for the wall.
“We need a comprehensive bill. We need one that safes up and secures the border, which includes putting up a barrier,” O’Dea said. “In that same bill, I would support legislation that would include DACA recipients getting their citizenship. In addition to that, we need to streamline our immigration system. It needs to be predictable.”
Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO), who is seeking reelection in the state, did jump on board with funding a DACA only bill and blamed former President Donald Trump for the stalemate on immigration.
“That puts me in a totally different place than where Joe O’Dea is, who just said he wouldn’t vote for a standalone bill for DACA,” Bennet said. “Unfortunately, the president that Joe O’Dea voted for twice after he called Mexicans rapists on the first day of his campaign, made it impossible for the national Republican Party to move forward on immigration.”
Inflation Reduction Act:
Bennet was one of the senators who voted for the Democratic Inflation Reduction Act, which was a climate, health care, and tax bill passed earlier this year. However, O’Dea claimed the bill was ineffective when it comes to fixing inflation.
“You just voted for an Inflation Reduction Act that even Bernie Sanders says doesn’t reduce inflation,” O’Dea stated.
The comment came after Bennet scolded O’Dea for claiming Colorado residents were paid to sit on the couch.
“I think it’s so insulting to Coloradans when Joe says, ‘Coloradans need to get off the couch’ … People in this economy, with this inflation, are killing themselves,” Bennet said. “The problem is not that people need to get off the couch in Colorado.”
O’Dea promises to pull a Joe Manchin to keep Space Command if elected:
O’Dea claimed that Bennet could have pulled a “Joe Manchin” to keep Space Command in Colorado, instead of relocating to Alabama as approved under the Trump administration. O’Dea was referring to Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) who has stopped multiple bills from passing that he believed would hurt his constituents, thereby blocking the Democratic Party given its small majority in the Senate.
“I’m going to use my seat like Joe Manchin has used his seat to get good things for West Virginia,” O’Dea said. “All Michael Bennet had to do was say, ‘You know what, I’m going to hold up this appointment. I’m going to hold up this bill. I’m going to hold up that bill.’ Fifty is what the count is, and they needed every vote. And I would use my seat to make sure that we keep Space Command here in Colorado. It’s that important. If you would have held up one just of those votes, one of those votes, we would have Space Command here.”
Bennet said he had taken the issue to the White House and Vice President Kamala Harris but was not successful. Bennet added that O’Dea did not break from former President Donald Trump when he decided to move the base out of Colorado.
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The candidates were able to agree on gun control, except O’Dea did not approve of raising the minimum age from 18 to 21.
Polls currently have Bennet up by approximately 10 points in the Senate race, with 49.5% of the vote on average, according to polling aggregate FiveThirtyEight.
