Candidates Square Off In Debate For Colorado U.S. Senate Race
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (AP) - Three candidates for Colorado's U.S. Senate race debated for the first time Saturday in Grand Junction.
Fast-rising Democrat Sen. Michael Bennet sparred with conservative Air Force veteran Darryl Glenn over bipartisanship and the federal debt, The Denver Post reported.
Glenn, who surprised establishment Republicans earlier this year by besting several better-known candidates in a crowded primary, accused the incumbent of representing Washington's interests instead of his constituents.
"I'm doing his job, because it's one of these things that people are feeling extremely frustrated about, because they don't think they have a voice," he said.
Bennet contended he had "spent countless hours" talking with Colorado residents.
The senator emphasized the need for bipartisanship and brought up statements Glenn has made about refusing to cooperate with Democrats.
Libertarian candidate Lily Tang Williams, who qualified for the debate last week when the party cleared a threshold that required 1 percent of the state's registered voters, joined the two on stage.
Williams, a real estate investor from suburban Denver, blamed Democrats and Republicans for the high federal debt, The Daily Sentinel reported.
"Do your two parties understand simple math?" Williams said.
The debate was sponsored by Club 20, a policy group representing the Western Slope.
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