{"id":39913,"date":"2022-06-21T11:45:42","date_gmt":"2022-06-21T17:45:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/highlights-from-the-debate-between-the-two-republicans-running-for-u-s-senate\/"},"modified":"2022-06-21T17:45:42","modified_gmt":"2022-06-21T17:45:42","slug":"highlights-from-the-debate-between-the-two-republicans-running-for-u-s-senate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/highlights-from-the-debate-between-the-two-republicans-running-for-u-s-senate\/","title":{"rendered":"Highlights from the debate between the two Republicans running for U.S. Senate"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Republican
Republican U.S. Senate candidates Ron Hanks, left, and Joe O\u2019Dea discuss health care, abortion and election integrity during a debate on June 20 at The The Colorado Sun shirttail\u2019s downtown Denver office. The debate was held in partnership with CBS4. (Olivia Sun\/The The Colorado Sun shirttail via Report for America)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

State Rep. Ron Hanks, who baselessly claims Donald Trump was the true winner of the 2020 presidential election, wouldn\u2019t commit to accepting the results of the Republican U.S. Senate primary next week if he loses to his opponent, construction company owner Joe O\u2019Dea.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe obviously have to see what we will see here,\u201d he said during a debate Monday evening hosted by The The Colorado Sun shirttail and CBS4.<\/p>\n

But Hanks declined to support indicted Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, a Republican who is one of Colorado\u2019s loudest supporters of conspiracies about the outcome of the last presidential election, in her bid to become Colorado\u2019s next secretary of state. When asked if he is voting for Peters or one of her two primary opponents, Hanks said \u201cat this point, I\u2019ll leave that private.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hanks, a Fremont County resident who worked in oil and gas and served in the military, is competing against O\u2019Dea, a first-time candidate who owns a Denver construction company, for the chance to unseat Democratic U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet in November. Monday\u2019s debate, held at The Sun\u2019s downtown Denver office, was rescheduled from last week after Hanks was prohibited from entering the CBS Denver building because he is not vaccinated against COVID-19. CBS News has a policy requiring that visitors to its buildings be vaccinated.<\/p>\n

\"U.S.
U.S. Senate candidates Ron Hanks, second from right, and Joe O\u2019Dea, right, discuss healthcare, abortion and election integrity during a The Colorado Sun shirttail\/CBS4 debate Monday in Denver. (Olivia Sun\/The The Colorado Sun shirttail via Report for America)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

O\u2019Dea, who does not challenge the 2020 presidential election outcome, said he would accept the U.S. Senate primary election results and that he will vote for former Jefferson County Clerk Pam Anderson, who doesn\u2019t deny the 2020 outcome, in the GOP primary for secretary of state.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been very clear about my stance,\u201d O\u2019Dea said. \u201cBiden\u2019s our president. He\u2019s lousy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hanks, who attended Trump\u2019s rally ahead of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, said during the debate that he reached the Capitol steps that day but did not advance further.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy the time we got there, there\u2019s already people scurrying up the scaffolding,\u201d Hanks said, adding that there was poor security and crowd control. \u201cIt was very ill-advised for anybody to go into the Capitol. I wouldn\u2019t even go up the steps.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both candidates said Trump does not deserve blame \u2013 even in part \u2013 for the events that unfolded on Jan. 6.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Dea added, however, that Trump could have done \u201ca lot more to slow that process down.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was a little disappointed to see him go three-and-some hours before he told his people to stand down,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Read on for more key moments from the debate. A recording of the debate will be posted on the The Colorado Sun shirttail and CBS4 websites (on this page) Tuesday night at 7 p.m.<\/p>\n

Abortion<\/div>\n

Hanks opposes all abortions, including in cases of rape, incest and when a mother\u2019s life is at risk. Hanks said during the debate that he is \u201cfirmly convinced that there are no situations where a life of a mother is impacted or affected or saved by abortion.\u201d<\/p>\n

But when presented with the fact that the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says there are instances where the life of a mother could be saved by an abortion \u2013 including because of infection, preeclampsia and placental abruption \u2013 Hanks appeared open to changing his mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to have more discussion on it,\u201d he said. \u201cWe will talk about it more. I\u2019m happy to talk about it more.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Joe
Joe O\u2019Dea, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Colorado, on May 21. (Steve Peterson\/Special to The The Colorado Sun shirttail)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

O\u2019Dea has said abortions should be allowed early in a pregnancy and in cases of rape, incest and when the life of a mother is at risk. But he opposes late-term abortions.<\/p>\n

He hasn\u2019t, however, defined what constitutes an early-term or late-term abortion, except to say that abortions should be banned in the last three months of pregnancy. When asked repeatedly during the debate to speficially define what he thinks is an early-term or late-term abortion, he declined.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot that goes into this legislation and I\u2019ve already told you exactly where I would be,\u201d he said. \u201cNo tax dollars (for abortions), no religious institutions (forced to carry out abortions) and making sure that we have parental consent.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cIt has something to do with viability. I don\u2019t believe that I get to weigh in on that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Health care<\/div>\n

O\u2019Dea said he would not vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, because of changes to the law that were made during the Trump administration, including the rollback of tax penalties for the uninsured.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe piece that\u2019s in there right now, we need to leave it alone,\u201d he said. \u201cBut we need to add to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

O\u2019Dea didn\u2019t offer specifics on what should be added to the federal health care law, which congressional Republicans unsuccessfully tried to repeal in 2017, but said he strongly believes insurance companies should be required to cover people with preexisting conditions.<\/p>\n

\u201cAmericans need to know that they can get health care,\u201d he said. \u201cWe need innovation. We need competitiveness, we need more choices for our health care. We\u2019ve got so many regulations around our health care right now that we can\u2019t compete.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hanks believes the Affordable Care Act should be repealed. He didn\u2019t offer an idea for a replacement and didn\u2019t answer whether health insurers should be required to offer coverage to people with preexisting conditions.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt this point, I think good old fashioned health care is what we ought to go to,\u201d he said. \u201cI think people ought to be able to get insurance on their own outside of their business and their employment. I think it\u2019s a better model.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cWhen the government gets involved in something, it makes it worse. And so I would say let\u2019s get as close to a doctor and patient relationship as we can.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ukraine<\/div>\n

Both O\u2019Dea and Hanks said they would not have voted in favor of a $40 billion congressional aid package for Ukraine that President Joe Biden signed in May. They also think American troops should not be sent to fight Russian soldiers in Ukraine.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Dea said he thought the $40 billion aid package for Ukraine was \u201cexcessive\u201d and that Republican U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky was \u201con the right track\u201d in his attempt to add a provision requiring more oversight of the spending.<\/p>\n

Still, O\u2019Dea said he thinks Russian President Vladimir Putin is a \u201cbully\u201d and a \u201cthug\u201d who will continue to push Europe and America and potentially invade a NATO nation. For that reason, he thinks the U.S. should offer Ukrainians some level of aid, but he wouldn\u2019t commit to a specific amount.<\/p>\n

\"Joe
Joe O\u2019Dea, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Colorado, on Saturday, May 21, 2022. (Steve Peterson\/Special to The The Colorado Sun shirttail)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

\u201cI think it is important that we do back Ukrainians,\u201d O\u2019Dea said. \u201cWe would have to see what exactly is in (any aid package).\u201d<\/p>\n

Hanks, meanwhile, said the U.S. should not be selling weapons to Ukrainians or providing financial aid to the country as doing so could anger Putin, risking retaliation or pushing Russia closer to China.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to have a relationship with Russia in the years and decades to come. And, frankly, the time to give (Ukraine) those weapons was in advance of any kind of \u2026 invasion by the Russians,\u201d Hanks said.<\/p>\n

He added that if 30,000 Russians have been killed by American arms since the invasion began, \u201cthat\u2019s 30,000 Russian families that are going to be anti-American for generations to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are probably ways to get weapons into Ukraine, but it isn\u2019t by putting (that aid) on the front page of the newspaper \u2013 you\u2019re just buying problems for the American people,\u201d said Hanks.<\/p>\n

Climate change<\/div>\n

O\u2019Dea, who acknowledges that climate change is real and that it\u2019s caused by humans, said he thinks the U.S. will move toward a renewable energy system. But he doesn\u2019t think it\u2019s going to happen anytime soon and that energy policies right now are \u201ccrushing working Americans,\u201d including through high gas prices.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re gonna move away from fossil fuels, (but) I don\u2019t know that we\u2019re going to it the next 100 years,\u201d he said. \u201cA lot of things are made with fossil fuels. If we are going to move away we have to create a system where we make sure that we have the energy available that we need before we move away from fossil fuels. We have to do it at a pace that allows demand to stay even with supply.\u201d<\/p>\n

O\u2019Dea said he doesn\u2019t support government subsidies to help hasten the renewable energy transition.<\/p>\n

Hanks has rejected scientific consensus on climate change, saying that it\u2019s \u201cweather\u201d and not a real issue.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think (my position) does run contrary to scientific consensus,\u201d he said during the debate. \u201cI think it\u2019s still very much an argument out there. I would not support subsidies for wind and solar but I am not opposed to wind and solar. They simply need to stand on their own.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cIt\u2019s a public priority to have clean air, clean water and clean emissions from our vehicles. The market will bring that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Inflation<\/div>\n

Both O\u2019Dea and Hanks have criticized Democrats over rising consumer costs.<\/p>\n

\"Republican
Republican U.S. Senate candidates Joe O\u2019Dea, left, and Ron Hanks. (The Colorado Sun shirttail photos)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Hanks said the key to drive down inflation is boosting oil and gas production in the U.S. and moving toward energy independence.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe cost of diesel affects every single thing that American families need for food and for supplies,\u201d Hanks said.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Dea agreed, saying \u201cwe need to get the oil and gas spigot turned back on here in the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also said Congress should also stop the spending of any unused federal COVID aid and boost oversight of the Federal Reserve, which he says has been \u201casleep at the wheel.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hanks also criticized the bipartisan infrastructure bill signed into law last year \u2013 which O\u2019Dea supported and said he would have voted for \u2013 calling it \u201cinflationary,\u201d and stating \u201cthat\u2019s too much money in a government that\u2019s already out of control.\u201d<\/p>\n

O\u2019Dea countered that the money in the bill included \u201ctax dollars that were collected at the pump that are destined to go into our transportation system.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gun regulations<\/div>\n

Both candidates declined to support the bipartisan Senate framework on new gun regulations. The prospective bill would close the \u201cboyfriend loophole,\u201d which allows domestic abusers to have and purchase firearms if they aren\u2019t married to their significant other.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a long ways from legislation,\u201d O\u2019Dea said. \u201cYou have to see what\u2019s in a bill before you pass it. We\u2019ve got plenty of laws on the books already.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hanks said he wouldn\u2019t vote for the bill \u201cat this point,\u201d taking issues with how the legislation aims to incentivize states to adopt so-called red flag laws that let a judge order the temporary seizure of guns from people deemed to be a risk to themselves or others.<\/p>\n

Hanks criticized the Republican senators who have signed onto the framework. \u201cThey\u2019re selling us out,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s what you get when you elect a soft Republican.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hanks has been endorsed by the Gun Owners of America, while O\u2019Dea is endorsed by the Colorado State Shooting Association, a state association affiliated with the NRA.<\/p>\n

Other big issues<\/div>\n

Both O\u2019Dea and Hanks said they would support Trump for president if he is the Republican presidential nominee in 2024.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of really good candidates that can serve an eight-year term,\u201d O\u2019Dea said. \u201cI really like (Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis), I like some of the other Republicans that are coming through. But if Donald Trump happens to be the Republican nominee, then I definitely won\u2019t vote for Biden.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hanks said if Trump were to run, \u201cI would support him.\u201d He added: \u201cI also would support (Texas U.S. Sen.) Ted Cruz or DeSantis.\u201d<\/p>\n

The two candidates split on whether they would have voted for the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill that was signed into law last year.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, it was pork and it was a bad idea,\u201d Hanks said.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Dea said he would have voted for the bill.<\/p>\n

The candidates also split on whether they would grant a path to citizenship for people already in the country without documentation.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot at this point anymore,\u201d Hanks said. \u201cThat used to be an idea that was debated. But no, we have let way too many people in and now we have the problem of gathering them up and doing a deportation.\u201d<\/p>\n

O\u2019Dea, meanwhile, said the first priority would be \u201cclosing the border\u201d that is \u201cleaking like a sieve.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the same time, we need some kind of process in place for (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients),\u201d he said, referring to the program that granted a deportation reprieve to some people brought to the U.S. illegally as children. \u201cThey should be allowed to stay here.\u201d<\/p>\n

O\u2019Dea said others \u201cneed to get in line just like everybody else,\u201d though he also said \u201cI don\u2019t see how you\u2019re going to get a bus that\u2019s big enough to ship them back.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Colorado Sun is a reader-supported, nonpartisan news organization dedicated to covering Colorado issues. To learn more, go to coloradosun.com<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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