2018 Colorado Gubernatorial race: debates and news coverage

OnTheIssues.org excerpts:  (click on issues for details)

Abortion     Jared Polis: Fund Planned Parenthood; require insurers' contraception.     Walker Stapleton: Ban abortion with exceptions for rape & incest.     Cary Kennedy: Endorsed by EMILY's List for pro-choice women.     Cynthia Coffman: Pro-choice; moderate on social issues.

Budget & Economy     Greg Lopez: Wants to champion and advocate for small business.     Walker Stapleton: Balanced budgets in private career & then as state treasurer.     George Brauchler: Requested pay cut & budget cut as County Commissioner.     Victor Mitchell: To save jobs, we must halt any kind of tax increase.     Victor Mitchell: In an over regulated Colorado, regulations need to be cut.     Victor Mitchell: Cutting regulations will promote small businesses.     Doug Robinson: Problems should be fixed by spending less, not raising taxes.     Doug Robinson: Use our budget more effectively, instead of raising taxes.     Doug Robinson: State budget is a mess; improve it by cutting spending.     Cary Kennedy: Balanced budget after citizens vote on taxes.

Civil Rights     Walker Stapleton: My grandfather was in the KKK but I denounce racism.     Raul Labrador: Orientation/gender identity shouldn't bar employment.     Jared Polis: Would be Colorado's first openly gay Governor.     Victor Mitchell: Voted against Trump due to misogyny concerns.     Mike Johnston: Participated in Women's March in Denver.

Corporations     Doug Robinson: To help the economy, government has to get out of the way.     George Brauchler: Protect business from excessive regulation.

Crime     George Brauchler: Defend local law enforcement and provide resources.     George Brauchler: Create specialized units to fight crime.     George Brauchler: Supports death penalty; would lift stays of execution.     John Hickenlooper: Issued stay of execution for convicted killer.     Mike Johnston: Ban police chokeholds; push the CLEAR Act.     George Brauchler: Death penalty is legitimate rule of law.     Mike Johnston: Reduce sentencing disparities; ban police chokeholds.

Drugs     Jared Polis: Treat marijuana like alcohol; end Drug War on states.     Walker Stapleton: Concerned about unintended consequences of legalizing pot.     Raul Labrador: Challenges AG on stopping pot research.     George Brauchler: Pot law has not ended criminal activity.     Steve Barlock: Will follow state law on pot.     Doug Robinson: Do better by preventing addiction & promoting natural high.     Doug Robinson: Children need to be protected from the dangers of pot.     George Brauchler: Must increase mental health & drug treatment programs.     Victor Mitchell: Marijuana revenues are being "ripped off" in the status quo.     Victor Mitchell: THC is dangerous, but voters ok'ed the pot amendment.     Doug Robinson: Opposes recreational marijuana.     Doug Robinson: Opposed Amendment 64: youth usage of drugs is too high.     Doug Robinson: Ran anti-recreational marijuana group, Smart Colorado.     George Brauchler: Opposed legalization but will defend CO laws.     George Brauchler: Opposed marijuana legalization; but keep the feds out.

Education     Jared Polis: Increased across-the-board funding and preschool for all.     Walker Stapleton: Supports school choice: $10,000 to follow student anywhere.     Jared Polis: Prime supporter of Amendment 23 for school funding in 2000.     Walker Stapleton: More charters, school choice, & education savings accounts.     Walker Stapleton: Transfer funds from bloated administration to teachers.     Steve Barlock: Favors home schooling.     George Brauchler: Local control instead of one-size-fits-all education models.     George Brauchler: Colorado should lead in STEM education.     Victor Mitchell: College need to become more affordable in Colorado.     Doug Robinson: In education, more choice makes more competition.     Cary Kennedy: Led Amendment 23: reduce budget cuts to public schools.     Mike Johnston: Make college more affordable.     Cary Kennedy: Make college more affordable, including tech & vocational.     Victor Mitchell: Teachers unions are enemies of Colorado.     Victor Mitchell: Supports vouchers and school choice.     Victor Mitchell: Don't boost No education spending via tax increases.     Victor Mitchell: Lower the cost of college.     Mike Johnston: Keep up with innovation: 2 years of free college or training.     Mike Johnston: National Guard service in exchange for state college tuition.     Mike Johnston: Weaken tenure protections; strengthen teacher evaluations.

Energy & Oil     Jared Polis: Increase regulatory incentives for renewables.     Walker Stapleton: Full-throated defense of oil-and-gas deregulation.     Steve Barlock: Water power, but not wind power.     Steve Barlock: State should not pick favorites in clean energy.     George Brauchler: Colorado joining Paris Accords is meaningless symbolism.     John Hickenlooper: Reduce greenhouse gas by 26% by 2025 and 35% by 2030.     Victor Mitchell: Repeal misguided Paris Accords order on Day One.     Cary Kennedy: Oil & gas are important, but protect public health.     Mike Johnston: Balance oil & gas extraction with public safety.     Noel Ginsburg: Develop oil & gas resources while protecting environment.

Environment     Raul Labrador: Must work with partners to preserve public land.     Cary Kennedy: Colorado can be national model on wind energy & cleantech.

Families & Children     Jared Polis: Supports same-sex marriage.     Cary Kennedy: Family adopted sister via faith-based organization.     Cary Kennedy: Supports foster care via faith-based organizations.

Free Trade     Walker Stapleton: Tariffs on China escalate trade war & hurt businesses.

Government Reform     Jared Polis: More limits on campaign donations; more donor disclosure.     Jared Polis: Investigate voter suppression; prohibit gerrymandering.     Walker Stapleton: Great Colorado Payback: find lost bank accounts.     Walker Stapleton: Ended hired petitioners when one surfaced as not registered.     George Brauchler: Sunset law should apply to all regulations.     George Brauchler: Move some state offices out of capital.     George Brauchler: A record of official transparency.     Steve Barlock: Drain the swamp of Colorado politics.     Mike Johnston: No PAC money when running as state senator or as governor.

Gun Control     Jared Polis: Ban bump stocks; end black market gun sales.     Walker Stapleton: Repeal existing gun control laws & oppose new efforts.     Greg Lopez: Don't like mass murder, but Second Amendment is important.     Cary Kennedy: No military assault weapons; universal background checks.     Donna Lynne: Ban bump stocks; disallow mental health excuses.     Jared Polis: Ban military-style weapons; plus CDC studies gun violence.     Mike Johnston: Ban military-style weapons; plus universal background checks.     Steve Barlock: Teachers should protect students if there's a school shooter.     Steve Barlock: 100% for Trump unless he rejects NRA.     George Brauchler: Supports guns for self-defense.     Victor Mitchell: 100% record with NRA, but I don't believe in bazookas.     Jared Polis: Banning weapons violates the Second Amendment.

Health Care     Jared Polis: Improve ObamaCare; work toward universal single-payer system.     Walker Stapleton: End Colorado's ObamaCare exchange; undo Medicaid expansion.     Jared Polis: AdWatch: Supports Medicare for All.     Greg Lopez: VA is proof against government health-care system.     Walker Stapleton: Medicaid block grants for community health care centers.     George Brauchler: Repeal Obamacare; local control of Medicaid.     Victor Mitchell: Insurance is not necessary for primary care.     Victor Mitchell: ObamaCare doesn't work for 50% of people today.     Victor Mitchell: ObamaCare is not a solution; we need patient-centered care.     Doug Robinson: Wants congress and Trump to repeal ObamaCare.     George Brauchler: Medicaid block grants instead of ObamaCare expansion.     George Brauchler: Increase Medicaid co-pays to change behavior.     George Brauchler: Charge co-pays to low-income residents on Medicaid.     Victor Mitchell: Promote patient-centered health care.

Homeland Security     George Brauchler: Uniformed service includes tour in Iraq.     Walker Stapleton: On July 4th honored all veterans for defending our freedoms.     Victor Mitchell: "Big brother government" is terribly intrusive.

Immigration     Jared Polis: Restore DACA: Don't cast 1M aspiring Americans into shadows.     Walker Stapleton: Deport anyone in the country illegally.     Tom Tancredo: Sanctuary Cities are a travesty but I hate identity politics.     Greg Lopez: I support legal immigration, not illegal immigration.     Walker Stapleton: End these dangerous sanctuary city policies.     Steve Barlock: Hardline against illegal immigration.     Victor Mitchell: Supports Trump's anti-sanctuary city policies.     George Brauchler: Opposes sanctuary cities; leave immigration to Feds.     Cary Kennedy: Keep local cops out of immigration.     Mike Johnston: Protect immigrants living in the country illegally.

Jobs     Jared Polis: Expand collective bargaining, instead of "right-to-work".     Jared Polis: Let municipalities raise local minimum wage.     Victor Mitchell: Teachers unions are about power not about helping teachers.

Principles & Values     Greg Lopez: Military taught values of loyalty, teamwork, brotherhood.     Steve Barlock: Statist and nationalist: Colorado and U.S. come first.     Steve Barlock: Won't let globalist opponents steal my views.

Social Security     Steve Barlock: Fully fund Public Employees' Retirement Association (PERA).

Tax Reform     Jared Polis: Repeal Trump's tax cuts.     Walker Stapleton: I had the courage to support Donald Trump's tax cuts.     Greg Lopez: I will never raise taxes; I defend Taxpayer Bill of Rights.     Walker Stapleton: I stopped the largest tax increase in state history.     Steve Barlock: Popular vote on any tax law or subsidy.     George Brauchler: Supports Taxpayer Bill of Rights.     George Brauchler: Use existing funds rather than raising taxes.     George Brauchler: Oppose sales tax hike to raise $3.5B for road projects.     Victor Mitchell: Not one darn penny for additional taxes.     Victor Mitchell: No tax increases, not even to boost education spending.     Cary Kennedy: OpEd: proudly championed the state's mill levy freeze.

Technology     Jared Polis: Support net neutrality: free exchange of ideas on internet.     Doug Robinson: Infrastructure via government efficiency & private solutions.     George Brauchler: Improve roads without raising taxes.     Victor Mitchell: Shrink state agencies to look for funds for highways.     Cary Kennedy: Rural areas need transportation & broadband infrastructure.

War & Peace     Doug Robinson: Trump is right with strong response on Syria.

Welfare & Poverty     Walker Stapleton: Random drug testing for people on public assistance.     Steve Barlock: Drug testing for welfare recipients is a slippery slope.

Click for quotations from other sources by: Cary Kennedy Colorado Democratic candidate for Governor Cynthia Coffman Colorado Republican Challenger for CO Governor Donna Lynne Colorado Republican candidate for Colorado Governor Doug Robinson Colorado Republican candidate for Governor George Brauchler Colorado Republican candidate for Governor Greg Lopez Colorado Republican candidate for governor Jared Polis Colorado Democratic candidate for Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper Colorado Democratic Colorado Governor Mike Johnston Colorado Democratic candidate for Governor Noel Ginsburg Raul Labrador Idaho Republican candidate for Idaho Governor Steve Barlock Colorado Republican candidate for Colorado Governor Tom Tancredo Colorado Republican Gubernatorial Challenger (withdrew) Victor Mitchell Colorado Republican candidate for Colorado Governor Walker Stapleton Colorado Republican candidate for governor of Colorado