DENVER — We know that everyone - EVERYONE - watched the gubernatorial debates this week, and everyone definitely did not watch the Nuggets and Avs instead.
But, in case everyone would like a refresher, here are our five takeaways from our events with both the Democrats and Republicans.
5. The frontrunners are ducking debates right now.
Out of the frontrunners on either side, only Democrat Cary Kennedy would debate. Jared Polis, and Republicans Walker Stapleton and Cynthia Coffman. would not. We'll see if they keep playing hide-and-seek with tough questions once the primary ballots are set.
4. Democrats' outrage over sexual harassment doesn't extend to Denver Mayor Michael Hancock.
Kyle Clark asked Kennedy, former State Senator Mike Johnston and Lt. Gov. Donna Lynne for a show of hands to answer if they:
Supported State Rep. Steve Lebsock's expulsion from the legislature for sexual harassment.
Supported the attempted expulsion of State Sen. Randy Baumgardner for sexual harassment.
Believe Mayor Hancock should face serious consequences for the texts he sent to a member of his security detail.
They all raised their hands for the first two, but not the third.
3. The Republicans had some real policy differences and were willing to criticize each other. The Democrats were largely in lock-step on every issue.
Here's a more detailed recap of the Democrats' debate, and the Republicans' debate, if you want to see what we mean.
2. Transportation funding is a tricky topic, but Republican candidate Victor Mitchell's breathtaking claim about the Colorado Dept. of Transportation doesn't appear to be true.
Mitchell said CDOT might be the most poorly-managed bureaucracy in state government.
"They have a $1.6 billion budget, but more than 70 percent of their total budget goes to overhead," he said.
Nope, not true. For starters, 43 percent of the budget goes to outside contractors for road and bridge work. Another 10 percent goes to snow removal, so we're already past the 50 percent mark before we delve deeper into what could be considered overhead.
1. The Republican candidates agreed - somewhat begrudgingly - that the vast majority of people living in Colorado illegally should be able to stay. They said that only those with convictions for violent crimes should be deported.
And like you could forget: Both primary races for Governor will thin out this weekend with the state party assemblies this weekend. Democrats are at the First Bank Center in Broomfield. Republicans are at Coors Event Center in Boulder. Our team will be covering both, keeping you updated on-air and online.
