DENVER – The eyes of Colorado are on the state’s gubernatorial contest between Republican Bob Beauprez and Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper.
The race is a referendum on not just the candidates, but a host of issues, including gun control, capital punishment, reproductive rights, federal regulations, hydraulic fracturing, education policy, marijuana and gay rights.
Voters seeking an alternative have many choices as well, including unaffiliated candidate Mike Dunafon, Green Party candidate Harry Hempy and Libertarian Matt Hess.
Hickenlooper, the former mayor of Denver and a former brewpub owner, is truly experiencing his first tight race after enjoying popularity during his first two years as governor and many more years before that as mayor.
He came on as governor during the worst of the economic downturn. It was followed by horrific flooding and fires that claimed lives and destroyed property across the state.
But the governor responded quickly, drawing upon his business experience to develop a blueprint for the economy and find ways to rapidly rebuild after the natural disasters.
His administration overcame a $1 billion budget shortfall to put about $650 million in reserves. Colorado was ranked the fastest-growing economy in the country. And the state unemployment rate dropped from 9.1 percent to 5.1 percent.
“Is it luck or is it hard work?” the governor asked on a recent Thursday morning while sitting at a cheap office table in his humble campaign office in the LoHi neighborhood of Denver.
He recalled a story from 1989 in Durango involving Bill Carver, who had just opened Carver Brewing Co. Hickenlooper said all the storefronts on Main Avenue were boarded up at the time.
“I hold Durango up as a model of how a community comes together and through a collaborative effort, controls its own destiny and creates its own future,” Hickenlooper said.
He has vastly outraised Beauprez this election cycle, pulling in more than $4.4 million compared with Beauprez’s $1.1 million.
Beauprez has made leadership a focus of the campaign, suggesting that Hickenlooper has failed to lead on key issues, including the economy. He pointed out that while the Denver area has rebounded, rural parts of the state, including the Western Slope, have not seen the same progress.
“You have to say compared to what,” Beauprez said. “There are some sectors, some spots of Colorado that have done well, but what has gone down is our opportunity.”
Tough enough on crime?
Beauprez pointed out that it hasn’t been smooth sailing for the governor, especially in his last two years in office.
Hickenlooper signed controversial gun laws in 2013 that banned high-capacity ammunition magazines of more than 15 rounds and mandated universal background checks. He also granted a temporary reprieve from execution to convicted killer Nathan Dunlap, a move that had both Democrats and Republicans scratching their heads.
“It’s just like he does so often, he doesn’t follow through with leadership,” Beauprez, a former congressman for the 7th Congressional District, said of his opponent.
But Hickenlooper has made public safety a focal point of his administration. Much of that agenda hit the spotlight after the slaying of prisons chief Tom Clements in 2013. Corrections officials have been working on reforming the solitary confinement system.
The governor defended signing gun-control laws, pointing out that background checks have prevented criminals from buying guns.
“We were never trying to take guns away, and we’re not going to try to take people’s guns away,” Hickenlooper said. “What we’re trying to do is keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people.”
He said he has no plans to revisit the Dunlap decision.
‘War on women’
Meanwhile, Beauprez stands on his own shaky ground. Democrats have spent two years painting Republicans as harsh on reproductive rights and other issues important to women.
Beauprez does not support a state personhood ballot initiative, but he has raised some eyebrows in the birth-control category.
At a recent debate, he said intra-uterine devices, known as IUDs, a form of birth control, cause abortions.
When asked by The Durango Herald, Beauprez said, “I do not support a ban on contraceptives. It’s a very personal choice. I oppose taxpayers picking up the tab for it.”
pmarcus@durangoherald.com
Candidates on issues
DENVER – Gov. John Hickenlooper is seeking re-election against Republican challenger Bob Beauprez, a former congressman for the 7th Congressional District. Here’s where they stand on the issues:
Gas and oil task force
Hickenlooper has assembled a task force to examine if more regulations are needed around hydraulic fracturing and empowering local governments to enact their own rules and regulations. The task force was part of a compromise to keep initiatives off the November ballot.
Hickenlooper: “It was crucial that we get those initiatives off the ballot. Literally billions of dollars of capital would have been forced out of the state. The commission is going to look at compromises.”
Beauprez: “I’d have beat (the initiatives) back like needs to be done, and will have to be done at some point in the future, and just put this thing to bed once and for all. Now it’s going to rear its head another day.”
Education
Tensions among school boards, teachers and students have been in the spotlight after a controversial proposal by the Jefferson County School Board to review its history curriculum. The board ultimately compromised, but relations remain uneasy, highlighting friction across the state and nation over education policy.
Beauprez: “I’m a big local-control fan, and local control starts with parents. Should a school board be discussing curriculum and what goes on in the classroom? Of course, they should. This has never been singularly about a curriculum in a class. This is pretty obviously and transparently about the assessments of the teachers.”
Hickenlooper: “It’s difficult because, unfortunately, it’s become a political issue, and it really shouldn’t be. It should be about the kids, making sure that our kids get the top education they can have.”
Marijuana regulation
Both candidates remain at odds with the marijuana industry in Colorado. Neither Beauprez nor Hickenlooper supported legalization. As Durango implements retail sales, both candidates say they will be watching closely.
Hickenlooper: “We’re going to continue to try to make sure kids aren’t smoking this high THC marijuana. With marijuana, it’s against the federal law, so we need to be equally vigorous to make sure we keep it out of the hands of kids and to make sure people aren’t driving high.”
Beauprez: “Anybody that’s a little bit objective on this understands that it’s being abused right now. It’s being abused intentionally. And it’s being abused at the risk of a whole lot of people in our society.”
John Hickenlooper
Political affiliation: Democrat.
Key issues: Economic growth and continued progress; public safety, including responding to emergencies; supporting veterans; diverse energy resources; water projects; education.
Occupation: Small-business owner, governor of Colorado, vice chairman of National Governors Association, chairman of Western Governors Association.
Family: Separated from wife, Helen Thorpe; one son.
Residence: Denver.
Favorite U.S. President: Abraham Lincoln.
Bob Beauprez
Political affiliation: Republican.
Key issues: Making Colorado more competitive; education; public safety.
Occupation: Bison rancher, former member of Congress.
Family: Wife, Claudia; three sons, one daughter; four grandchildren.
Residence: Boulder County/Jackson County.
Favorite U.S. president: Abraham Lincoln.
