Colorado’s primary election is just a week away, and a Republican U.S. Senate candidate is not saying if he will accept the results of it. It’s one of the headlines to emerge from a debate hosted by CBS4 and the Colorado Sun.
It was the first and only Senate Primary debate by a nonpartisan media outlets. It revealed deep policy divides between the candidates on a number of key issues, including the outcome of the 2020 election.
Ron Hanks is a first term State Representative and military veteran from Fremont County. Joe O’Dea is a first-time candidate and construction company owner from Greenwood Village. They’re vying for the chance to take-on Democratic Incumbent Michael Bennet in November.
O’Dea says Joe Biden is the legitimate winner of the 2020 Presidential Election.
Hanks attended former President Trump’s “stop the steal” rally on Jan. 6. When asked if he would accept the results of the primary election, Hanks responded, “We’ll have to see what we’ll see here.”
Hanks called for changes in election procedures.
“I think we ought scrub the voters rolls clean and start over… and frankly the mail-in ballots is a big problem.”
O’Dea insists Hanks election conspiracy theories are why Democrats are spending millions to make him the nominee.
“They want to have him having this debate all summer with Michael Bennet talking about elections that are stolen instead of talking about what’s really important to working Americans here in Colorado which is the price of gas. It’s inflation every time we turn around.”
Inflation is one of the few issues they agree on. Both blame overregulation of oil and gas and overspending by Congress. On climate change, O’Dea is a believer and Hanks a denier, but they both oppose subsidies for renewables.
Their positions on abortion are a bit more complicated.
Hanks was open to exceptions for a mother’s life in 2010. Now, he’s not. He is open to talking about it.
“I am happy to talk about it more, but what I’ve learned, what I have gleaned, I am firmly convinced that there are no situations where the mother’s life is impacted or affected or saved by abortion.”
O’Dea opposes late-term abortion and supports some exceptions for abortion, including early in a pregnancy. He wouldn’t say what’s early and what’s late.
“I think it has to do with viability, but that’s the debate and that debate could be had by each state.”
On health care, Hanks would repeal Obamacare.
“I think good ‘ole fashion health care is what we ought to go to.”
O’Dea would keep the law, saying Republicans removed the worst parts.
“Pre-existing conditions, that needs to be a priority for Americans.”
The candidates also disagreed on what to do about those in the country illegally. Hanks says deport them all. O’Dea says let dreamers stay.
As for the others, he says, “They need to get in line and go through the process. We can’t just let them in.”
They had different responses to the war in Ukraine as well. O’Dea supports aid for Ukrainians, calling Russian President Vladimir Putin “evil.”
Hanks says arming Ukrainians now will only provoke Putin, “Putin does not have to take this kind of embarrassment and beating from the United States.”
Both candidates pledged to support Donald Trump if he’s the Republican nominee for president in 2024. In regard to the 2022 Secretary of State’s race, Hanks wouldn’t say if he’ll vote for fellow election denier Tina Peters, who is the embattled Mesa County Clerk indicted on felony charges related to election security. O’Dea says he’s voting for former Jefferson County Clerk Pam Anderson.
Original source can be found here
