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Gardner and Hickenlooper debate: Fact checked

Abby Vander, Serena Bettis, Sam Moccia, and Natalie Weiland

October 12, 2020

Republican Cory Gardner and Democrat John Hickenlooper will debate in the race for U.S. Senator today from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. The Collegian will be fact-checking the debate and posting its findings starting at 6 p.m. Refresh this page for the latest information.

Watch the debate through 9News here:

Claim: Hickenlooper said that before the pandemic, there was one mass shooting each day. This is false.

According to a CBS News report, there were more mass shootings than days in 2019, but there was not necessarily one mass shooting each day.

Claim: Gardner said, “If you listen to Lauren Boebert, she said she did not, and does not, (support QAnon).”

To provide this with more context: Moderator Kyle Clark asked Gardner why he would campaign with someone (Boebert) who supports the conspiracy group QAnon, to which Gardner replied that she does not.

According to a July NPR report, Boebert has made comments that allude to her support of the group, but Boebert and her campaign team have come out multiple times to say she does not follow QAnon.

Claim: Gardner said that Hickenlooper lied to the country sheriff about the effectiveness of limiting family sales on firearms.

To provide this with more context: When asked why he didn’t listen to law enforcement over Michael Bloomberg in a meeting on gun control legislation with sheriffs in 2014, Hickenlooper said he did not talk to Bloomberg. According to Fox 31 News, his office later stated that he intended to convey that his conversation with Bloomberg did not influence his decision.

Claim: Gardner said he is the third most bipartisan Senator. This is true, according to a report from the Lugar Center and Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy.

The ranking comes from the 2019 Senate scores, which are based on, “the frequency with which a Member co-sponsors a bill introduced by the opposite party and the frequency with which a Member’s own bills attract co-sponsors from the opposite party,” according to the Lugar Center’s website.

Claim: Gardner said Hickenlooper has refused to answer the question of whether or not he would support packing the Supreme Court. This is true.

Claim: Gardner said Hickenlooper worked with now-former Ohio Governor John Kasich to repeal the Affordable Care Act. This is false. Hickenlooper and Kasich worked to make changes to the ACA, not repeal it.

Serena Bettis, Sam Moccia and Natalie Weiland and Abby Vander Graaff can be reached at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @CSUCollegian.

About the Contributors

Serena Bettis, Editor in Chief

Serena Bettis is your 2022-23 editor in chief and is in her final year studying journalism and political science. In her three years at The Collegian, Bettis has also been a news reporter, copy editor, news editor and content managing editor, and she occasionally takes photos, too. When Bettis was 5, her family moved from Iowa to a tiny town northwest of Fort Collins called Livermore, Colorado, before eventually moving to Fort Collins proper. When she was 8 years old, her dad enrolled at Colorado State University as a nontraditional student veteran, where he found his life's passion in photojournalism. Although Bettis' own passion for journalism did not stem directly from her dad, his time at CSU and with The Collegian gave her the motivation to bite down on her fear of talking to strangers and find The Collegian newsroom on the second day of classes in 2019. She's never looked back since. Considering that aforementioned fear, Bettis is constantly surprised to be where she is today. However, thanks to the supportive learning environment at The Collegian and inspiring peers, Bettis has not stopped chasing her teenage dream of being a professional journalist. Between working with her section editors, coordinating news stories between Rocky Mountain Student Media departments and coaching new reporters, Bettis gets to live that dream every day. When she's not in the newsroom or almost falling asleep in class, you can find Bettis working in the Durrell Marketplace and Café or outside gazing at the beauty that is our campus (and running inside when bees are nearby). This year, Bettis' goals for The Collegian include continuing its trajectory as a unique alt-weekly newspaper, documenting the institutional memory of the paper to benefit students in years to come and fostering a sense of community and growth both inside the newsroom and through The Collegian's published work. Bettis would like to encourage anyone with story ideas, suggestions, questions, concerns or comments to reach out to her at editor@collegian.com.

Natalie Weiland, News Director

Natalie Weiland is a sophomore political science student with a minor in legal studies and a fierce love of the Oxford comma. Weiland grew up in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and served as an editor for her high school’s yearbook during her senior year. She credits the absolute chaos of the 2016 presidential election for introducing her to — and getting her hooked on — the world of politics and journalism. Her journey with The Collegian started in the fall of her freshman year when she began writing for the news desk. In her spare time, Weiland enjoys reading and attempting to not have a heart attack every time The New York Times sends a breaking news update to her phone. She has two incredibly adorable dogs (that she will gladly show pictures of if asked) and three less-adorable siblings. As news director, Weiland's main goal is to ensure that students trust The Collegian to cover stories that are important to and affect them, and she hopes that students are never afraid to reach out and start a conversation. Weiland is excited to see what The Collegian has in store this year and hopes to explore the campus community through reporting.

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