KUSA — Colorado's 6th Congressional District is home to one of the most expensive House races in the country.
Democrat Jason Crow is trying to unseat 10-year incumbent Republican Congressman Mike Coffman in a race that could alter the balance of power in the House of Representatives.
Voters are now deciding whether to give Coffman another two-year term or take a leftward shift with Crow. We’ll find out on November 6, but first, both candidates had an opportunity to argue their case on 9NEWS Tuesday night.
The conversation was moderated by 9NEWS Anchor Kyle Clark and Political Reporter Marshall Zelinger, and focused on covering new ground outside of the usual talking points.
A 9Wants to Know team watched the debate and fact-checked statements made by both candidates. You can see the results below.
STATEMENT: Crow claimed Coffman voted with Trump 96 percent of the time.
VERDICT: Needs context.
Coffman voted with Trump 95.7 percent of the time, according to the political web site Fivethirtyeight.com. So did fellow Colorado Republicans Scott Tipton (95.6 percent) and Doug Lamborn (93.5 percent). However, many of his votes with Trump were on bills that also had the support of Democratic lawmakers on non-controversial or bipartisan issues.
The most vocal Trump opponent in Colorado’s delegation, Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Denver), voted with the president 12 percent of the time.
Source: https://53eig.ht/2jNAg8M
STATEMENT: Coffman said he opposed a bill that would have allowed states to offer policies that did not include coverage of pre-existing conditions.
VERDICT: True.
Coffman voted against HR 1628 in May 2017. This would have given states the option to offer policies that would not include coverage of pre-existing conditions. He was one of 19 Republicans to oppose the bill.
Source: https://bit.ly/2q2FWR5
STATEMENT: Coffman claimed Crow accepts corporate political action committee money. Crow said he has not accepted one dime of corporate PAC money.
VERDICT: Needs context.
Jason Crow’s campaign committee does not directly accept corporate PAC contributions, according to a Federal Election Commission analysis performed at the request of 9NEWS.
But, corporate PAC money does filter into the Crow campaign committee through other PACs that themselves accept corporate PAC money. It is not possible to determine the precise amount because the money gets co-mingled with other contributions.
STATEMENT: Crow, responding to an assertion by Coffman, said he does not support open borders.
VERDICT: True, but needs context.
Crow, as part of his published campaign statements, does not offer specifics on border controls. He does support what he termed “secure borders.”
Here is what he said:
“Making sure we have secure borders that prevent the illegal flow of weapons and drugs into America is a priority for every member of Congress. But, we need to be smarter about the border and not waste billions of dollars on an ineffective wall. A comprehensive approach to immigration reform and visa processing is also necessary. American businesses need workers in virtually all sectors – from agriculture and construction to hospitals and boardrooms."
Source: https://bit.ly/2yZt4iL
STATEMENT: Coffman led the fight to prevent the Veterans Affairs from ever again managing a project like the hospital in Denver that was beset with cost overruns.
VERDICT: True, but needs context.
In 2013, Coffman proposed legislation that transferred construction management from the VA to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In 2015, Congress passed a law, supported by Coffman, that prevented the VA from managing another construction project of that size and cost. He called for an independent investigation into how the costs ballooned.
Sourcing: https://nbcnews.to/2L2xwBh
CLAIM: Crow claimed Coffman voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act 17 times.
VERDICT: Misleading but needs context
Coffman has voted against the Affordable Care Act or provisions in the act 18 times since it was introduced in 2010. Four of those votes were to repeal it.
In 2017, he voted no on the Republican replacement of the ACA, deemed the American Health Care Act of 2017, which some GOP representatives opposed on the grounds that it did not go far enough in terms of repealing the ACA.
His other votes were to change various provisions within the act.
Sourcing: https://bit.ly/2PPreYP