Debates dwindle in Colorado's top races as candidates skip - Axios DenverLog InLog InAxios Denver is an Axios company.

Political Pulse Debates dwindle in Colorado' s top races and more news

Data: ; Chart: Axios VisualsPolitical candidates in Colorado and across the nation — and their rivals want to make them pay a price. Why it matters: Debates — once considered a frank exchange about serious issues — have become a casualty of politicians' increasing ability to bypass traditional media and avoid impromptu missteps. By the numbers: In 2010, there were a total of 17 debates across the five most competitive Senate races. This year, there will be only six, . Details: Colorado's top midterm races exemplify this trend.In the U.S. Senate race, the candidates agreed to only one live televised debate, which takes place tonight on 9News. Other forums were live-streamed online.Likewise, in the governor's race, the candidates participated in . A second after Republican Heidi Ganahl objected to 9News' debate moderators.In the newly drawn 8th District north of Denver, Democratic candidate Yadira Caraveo, a state lawmaker, attended one 30-minute TV debate and a joint forum. Her GOP rival, state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, is accusing her of hiding and labeling her with the rhyming moniker “No show Caraveo.” In the final earlier this week in Grand Junction, Gov. Jared Polis landed a stinger with this line in the closing moments: "My opponent's a mad mom. I'm a happy dad." Between the lines: It reprised a line earlier in the debate that Republican rival Heidi Ganahl owned. "I am a mad mom," she said, listing reasons that included rising crime and inflation and low testing scores in Colorado.Ganahl and Republicans simultaneously of her saying as such in the debate, while to repeat her phrase. The most incendiary Colorado campaign ad of the 2022 midterm is aimed at Spanish-speaking voters. What's happening: The America First Legal Foundation, a political nonprofit run by former Trump aide Stephen Miller, is sending Spanish-language mailers and producing radio ads that warn Democrats “are pushing radical and irreversible gender experiments on children."It features a photo of U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Rachel Levine, who is transgender, . The other side: Morgan Carroll, the state Democratic Party chairperson, issued a statement calling it a "cynical use of hate speech" designed to suppress the Latino vote. Speaking of ads, expect to see plenty of them in the final 10 days of the election. By the numbers: $26 million worth of campaign commercials are booked in Colorado, according to , a tracking outfit. Get more local stories in your inbox with .Subscribe Support local journalism by becoming a member.

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