On Oct. 23, Denver7, The Denver Post and DU’s Center on American Politics hosted the final gubernatorial debate between Democratic congressman Jared Polis and Republican state Treasurer Walker Stapleton. The moderators for the night were journalists Anne Trujillo of Denver 7 and Nic Garcia of The Denver Post.

The event gave each candidate an opportunity to express his views on important topics affecting Colorado today. Numerous topics were discussed at the debate and can be seen in its entirety via Denver7 and on DU’s Facebook page. Here are the highlights on issues including education, homelessness, crime and the state budget.

Education

Education was one of the many topics discussed in depth that night. When asked about how to have an effective school system and whether they needed more funding, Stapleton and Polis had different approaches. Stapleton wanted to focus on building accountability and transparency across the state’s school districts. “I would take a numbers-based approach to education finance as governor; I’ve taken numbers-based approaches to problems as treasurer because it’s hard to politicize numbers. Numbers illuminate problems in public policy,” said Stapleton.

Polis said Colorado local government needs to invest more in schools. ¨There’s a state role, not only in making sure we invest in our schools but making sure that money actually reaches the classroom and addresses some of the great funding disparities across our state to reduce class size and make sure we can recruit and retain the very best teachers in our state,” said Polis.

Homelessness/Crime

When homelessness in Denver was brought up, each candidate offered solutions to the problem, especially regarding ways to keep families and kids away from the streets. Polis urged the need for affordable housing and easier access for rehabilitation programs. “When you’re talking about young families, it’s about making sure the kids have some continuity in the school that they go to [and] that the parents are able to, again, live with dignity,” he said. Mental health and substance abuse treatment were some of the ways Polis mentioned to regain dignity.

Stapleton praised the work of the programs like Bridge House which provide resources and assistance for homeless adults. He also discussed the need for an improved regulatory model on marijuana. “I don’t know if it’s directly linked, but I know that if somebody’s on the streets and they’re addicted to opioids or heroin or meth, giving them the opportunity to smoke marijuana on top of it is not helpful. It’s not helpful for Colorado youth either,” he said.

When Garcia noted the steadily increasing crime in Colorado, Stapleton and Polis answers touched on solutions similar to their methods for tackling homelessness. Polis urged that mental health and substance abuse be addressed before prison with better coordination through health care. Stapleton touched on a need for better regulation of illegal marijuana growing and for improved rehabilitation programs to avoid the likelihood of recidivism.

Budget

Each candidate was asked what his spending priorities were and what he would cut if Colorado were in a recession. Polis wishes to make kindergarten full-time for all students and make preschool accessible for all as well. If cuts were needed, Polis believes finding more effective mental health and substance abuse programs outside of the criminal justice system could save money. “Is there a way to tackle mental health issues more effectively and also less expensive as a health care issue rather than a criminal justice issue,” he asked rhetorically.

Stapleton focused on cooperating with legislators on economic policy and plans to prioritize roads, infrastructure and creating attainable housing. He mentioned the need to update the Gallagher amendment and focus on how it contributes to residential and commercial properties and its links to school funding. “I think we need more flexibility in budgeting. We need more accountability and transparency in budgeting,” said Stapleton.

As of writing this, according to fivethirtyeight, Polis is ahead in the polls by 12 points. Voting ends on Tuesday, Nov. 6.