Emotion, attacks mark first Markey-Musgrave debate

FORT COLLINS - Northern Colorado's two congressional candidates interspersed personal stories with occasional jabs at each other during the campaign's first debate Thursday night.

Both Republican incumbent Marilyn Musgrave and Democratic challenger Betsy Markey were emotional when asked about misconceptions voters might have about them from the heavy negative advertising in the race.

“The thing that has bothered me the very most is the allegation that I don’t support our soldiers,” Musgrave said, referring to ads put out by independent groups in the race. She choked up as she told the audience at CSU’s University Center for the Arts about her son and daughter-in-law who currently serve in the military and about her late brother who was a veteran, and an uncle who was a prisoner of war in World War II.

“I have been a stalwart supporter of our veterans,” she said.

In answer to the same question, Markey singled out Musgrave’s questions about her family business, Syscom Services. Markey talked about how she and her husband started the business from nothing more than 20 years ago and said the company’s employees are like family.

“When people make attacks on my integrity, it’s just wrong and it also drags our company’s good name through the mud,” Markey said.

Musgrave has centered her campaign in recent weeks on attacks against Markey over Syscom, and the debate’s sharpest exchange came on that issue.

Musgrave initially alleged in early September that Markey used her position as an aide to Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., to help Syscom gain defense contracts. The incumbent never presented any evidence to substantiate that initial charge, but quickly changed tactics to hammer Markey on inconsistent answers she had provided about her ownership stake in the company and when she ended her ownership stake.

Moderator Adam Schrager of 9NEWS asked Musgrave if she thought Markey was corrupt. Musgrave responded by highlighting many of her campaign’s recent attacks, including that Syscom was trying to improperly obtain preferential treatment by being listed as a woman-owned business after Markey divested her majority share in the company to her company, Jim Kelly.

When Schrager asked again if she thought her challenger was corrupt, Musgrave said, “I feel that she has made contradictory statements and we need to get to the bottom of that.”

Markey said Syscom never participated in the government program that set aside contracts for women-owned businesses, even when she was the majority owner of the company.

“We never sought set aside contracts as a woman-owned business,” Markey said. “Never once did we get preferential treatment as a woman-owned business.”

Schrager also asked Markey if she thought Musgrave was corrupt, as has been alleged by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund and other independent groups that have spent nearly $2 million on anti-Musgrave efforts in this election.

“No, but I do think the record speaks for itself,” Markey said, citing campaign contributions from Wall Street interests and the oil industry. Musgrave said many of the contributions Markey said came from Wall Street actually came from people and groups connected to community banks and credit unions.

Markey and Musgrave expressed agreement on a number of general concepts Thursday night, including opposition to the recently passed financial bailout package and the need to make the nation energy independent.

Both candidates offered few details when asked for solutions on issues like the rise in foreclosures and developing more jobs. Instead, they focused on stories they have heard from troubled residents of the 4th Congressional District.

Markey and Musgrave evaded Schrager’s question about whether the 2003 invasion of Iraq made the United States safer.

Musgrave said the United States should “be very grateful for the soldiers keep country safe.” Markey said “the military has done everything asked of them.”

Both candidates said they opposed a timetable for withdrawing from Iraq.

The debate was the first of three scheduled in the 4th Congressional District, one of the nation’s most closely watched congressional elections this year. It was sponsored by the Coloradoan, 9NEWS and Colorado State University, and broadcast live regionally on Denver’s My20 and nationally on the C-SPAN cable network.

The next debate is Monday night in Fort Morgan, focusing on agricultural issues. The final debate will be Oct. 21 in Windsor.

CSU political scientists Bob Duffy and Kyle Saunders said both candidates stuck to their main themes in Thursday’s debate and communicated the messages they wanted.

Duffy said it was the first time he’d seen a congressional debate in person. “They come across as real people as opposed to the caricatures in advertising,” he said.

Saunders said the candidates engaged in “a militant exchange of facts” that he didn’t think would cause many voters to change their minds.