It was denim versus dapper in the conversation to represent Colorado’s 3rd congressional district this Saturday, Sep 21. The final and most anticipated event on a full day of debates hosted by Club 20 was between Democrat Adam Frisch and Republican Jeff Hurd. The stage in Robinson Theatre as well as a live stream played host to the event.
In each debate, there were six questions posed and only 90 seconds for each candidate to answer. Rebuttals were 60 seconds. At the end of the formal questions, each candidate was given five minutes to cross-examine their opponent with their own questions.
“We hear canned speeches. I like that they are able to ask each other questions,” said project manager for AIM Design and Development Heidi Gamer.
Water rights, inflation and representing rural interests in Washington D.C. were common themes throughout the night.
“We feel like we get cheated and there’s always pressure to divert more water to go to the front range,” said Pitkin County Commissioner Steve Childs.
The intention of this debate was to provide a formal space for candidates to make their case to potential voters. However, many attendees had already made up their minds.
“I’m fairly solidified,” said political science senior Kyle Patten. “There are some policy opinions […] that are super integral and important to the rights of […] American people.”
Patten was one of the moderators during the Frisch-Hurd debate and also serves as the president of the Political Science Club here at Colorado Mesa University.
Of the nearly 100 people in attendance at the final debate, only about 10 of them were college-aged. Even though policies made now will impact their future, there’s a sense of disengagement or disinterest in these kinds of events.
“I do think that, especially right now, we’re seeing a lot of disengagement because students really feel like their vote doesn’t matter,” said political science senior Shayla Trowbridge. She was most interested in hearing about how the candidates talk about the cost of living in the area. Many students feel a high level of uncertainty of where they’ll be able to afford to live after they graduate.
During the debate, Frisch donned a blue sport coat, a crisp white tee, worn denim jeans and a pair of workboots. This could have been an intentional fashion choice as some of Frisch’s critics claim he is a detached Aspen liberal.
Hurd, in a full blue suit and red tie, seemingly had the home field advantage being born and raised in Grand Junction. However, he’s been scrutinized as to whether or not he would meaningfully represent the interests of the Western Slope rather than corporate benefactors.
The upcoming general election will also include the voting for the next U.S. President, whether or not Colorado will amend the state constitution to protect abortion access and many other local initiatives. Mail-in ballots for Colorado are set to be sent out as early as Oct. 11 and Election Day is Tuesday Nov. 5.
