Current Gov. John Hickenlooper, D, is looking to hold his position against Republican Bob Beauprez. The two have had a rocky relationship brought on by attack ads and public criticism of each other, which CSU students saw firsthand at their debate earlier this month.

The candidates appear to be virtually tied, according to recent polls from The Denver Post.

Bob Beauprez, Republican

Bob Beauprez’s political career began when he became chairman of the Colorado Republican Party in 1999. Before that, he was raised on a dairy farm in Colorado, where he worked for 42 years before purchasing and managing a community bank.

He was elected to the U.S. House in 2002. While in Congress, he served on the Ways & Means, Transportation, and Veterans Committees. Beauprez was also the Republican nominee for Governor in 2006. He has campaigned strongly for education reform, protection of the second amendment and fracking.

College costs

Beauprez calls for an increase in technical training in high schools to provide opportunities for people who cannot pay for a college education.

The legalization of marijuana

Beapurez has come out completely against marijuana, saying that recreational marijuana presents far too great a risk compared to the small reward from legalization.

Abortion and birth control

Beauprez is a proponent of Amendment 67.

“I stand by Catholic Church doctrine on birth control,” Beauprez said.

Sexual assaults on college campuses

According to Beauprez, the main issue is with state-run correctional facilities.  The sexual assault convicts who are being released are not fit to re-enter society, according to Beauprez.

“Many of them have not even had the court-prescribed therapy before they are being let back out,” Beauprez said.

Green energy and fracking

Beauprez is completely for fracking.

“We have never had the technology to harvest natural gas safer, more efficiently and better than we do now,” Beauprez said.

Immigration

Beauprez has suggested that the border should be tightened.  However, he has shown some bipartisanship by calling for a system of reconciliation.  According to Beauprez, this system would allow illegal immigrants to gain legal status.

John Hickenlooper, Democrat

John Hickenlooper was elected Governor of Colorado in 2010, after serving as mayor of Denver since 2003. Before running for mayor, Hickenlooper worked in the oil fields of western Colorado and opened the state’s first brewpub in the late 1980s. When his business grew, he became active in Denver and friends and colleagues convinced him to run for office.

During his time in office, Hickenlooper served on the National Governors Association Executive Committee and NGA’s Education, Early Childhood and Workforce Committee. As governor, Hickenlooper pushed for reform on issues such as public school funding, gun control and health care.

College costs:

Hickenlooper says that tuition increases need to stop, and believes that the best way to solve the issue is to set a cap on the amount of debt a person can have after college.

The legalization of marijuana

Hickenlooper believes that the real problem with legalizing marijuana is keeping it away from children and teens, which he views as an educational issue.

“I think we have to get resources to put information out there,” Hickenlooper said.

Abortion and birth control

Hickenlooper opposes Amendment 67.

Sexual assaults on college campuses

Hickenlooper says that the key to decreasing sexual assault instances on campus lies in educating students.

“We just need to do a better job of orchestrating and letting people know that this is a real danger,” Hickenlooper said.

Green energy and fracking

Hickenlooper has denied bills on multiple occasions that would make fracking easier. He has suggested that a committee from across the state would be able to look at fracking issues on a case-by-case issue to determine whether or not it is in the best interest of the state of Colorado.

Immigration:

While he was mayor of Denver, Hickenlooper says he sent large numbers of illegal immigrants to U.S. customs, and has been tough on the issue of immigration from the start.

“No one should enter the country illegally,” Hickenlooper said. “We need to make it more accessible for immigrants to enter the country in a safe, legal manner.”

Collegian News Editor Caitlin Curley and Reporter Jonathan Matheny can be reached at news@collegian.com or on Twitter at @caitlinjcurley or @jonathanmathen2.