WATCH: The final Colorado Senate debate of 2020
(KRDO) -- The final Senate debate between incumbent Republican Sen. Cory Gardner and Democratic challenger John Hickenlooper is taking place Tuesday evening.
Gardner is seeking a second term in the Senate; Hickenlooper, the former governor of Colorado, ramped up a Senate campaign after his presidential hopes fizzled out in the Democratic primaries this year.
The debate is a co-production between our Denver partners at 9News and several media outlets across the state, including Colorado Politics, Rocky Mountain PBS, and the KRDO Network.
Both candidates answered questions about coronavirus relief, healthcare, gun rights, police accountability, and a peaceful transition of presidential power.
Some questions were personal, though. When Hickenlooper was asked if he was sorry for committing two ethics violations while governor in 2018, Hickenlooper said they were minor, inadvertent mistakes.
"I paid the 28-hundred dollars," Hickenlooper said. "I take responsibility for that. I will make sure that never happens again.”
Gardner answered for a deadly COVID-19 outbreak at the JBS meatpacking plant in Greeley. Several workers died and hundreds of employees were infected. Workers say they were forced to work while sick and not everyone was tested. But Gardner boasted about providing thousands of tests to JBS.
“You would have to, again, check with the governor," Gardner said. "The governor said they got the tests they needed for every employee.”
You can watch the full debate below:
