At 5:53 p.m. on Oct. 24, a CBS4 representative tossed a coin into the air; Governor John Hickenlooper called heads.

When it became known that he had won the coin toss in the last gubernatorial debate of the 2014 election season in Colorado, he chose to make the last closing remarks. His opponent, Bob Beauprez, chose to ask the first question in the cross examination part of the debate.

Thus began the debate between the incumbent Democratic governor and former Republican Congressman.

In one hour, a variety of issues—including safety, fracking, the legalization of marijuana and gun control—were covered by both candidates, and three questions from viewers were answered. Both opponents seemed to recognize the importance of the debate and were enthusiastic about poking holes in their challenger’s policies.

To begin the debate, an ad by Beauprez was aired in which he criticized Gov. Hickenlooper for releasing Evan Ebel, a murderer who was released from prison and then allegedly killed two Coloradans, including then-head of the Colorado Department of Corrections, Tom Clements. Beauprez did not withdraw his motivation in the ad.

“My intention was never to offend [Lisa Clements, Tom’s widow] or politicize that event, my intent [was] to raise a serious issue about public safety,” Beauprez said.

“[A] governor’s first responsibility is to protect and defend the citizens’ safety,” Beauprez said. He claimed that under Hickenlooper, public safety has been compromised.

Hickenlooper expressed remorse at Beauprez’s inability to honor a deal made in an earlier debate to only run positive ads, and mentioned the work done by his administration.

“We’ve worked on…[making] the state safer. The issues around truth and sentencing and parole reform—there is a science to how we look at keeping our prisons safe,” he said.

The debate quickly turned to the recent legalization of recreational marijuana in Colorado. Beauprez promised to address the issue carefully if he is elected.

“[We] need to be objective and honest about what we know [and] about what we learn about this new law. The consequences are real,” he said.

Both candidates agreed Colorado was now in the national spotlight and must serve as an example to other states.

The part of the debate that focused on ads saw a shift on behalf of Beauprez, especially concerning the issue of abortion and the right to choose.

“I am not here to infringe on anybody’s rights and I won’t have the opportunity to change the law. I am here to bolster the economy and bolster freedom,” he said.

Though he did say he would defend the freedom of Coloradans as they see fit, he added an exception.

“I don’t think taxpayers ought to be paying for [birth control and abortion].”
In his concluding statement, Hickenlooper said that he learned a lot from his tenure.

“[We need] more time to listen [to] and hear [from] both sides—it’s always beneficial and it helps to keep momentum going,” he said.

To close, he talked about the perspectives of Colorado.

“Colorado’s future is going to be about collaboration, not picking pointless fights. We have more to do… Together is the Colorado way, and the Colorado way is always going to work,” he said.

In his closing comments, Beauprez noted that “A governorship is a very serious thing to waste. A governor can make a difference for their state, for their people… [A] governor’s primary job is less to govern the people and much more to govern government. I don’t want to run your life, I want you to have the freedom to run your own life.”