Weiser and Bennet trade Trump attacks

State of play: Weiser, Colorado's current attorney general, started the debate Thursday with a jab at Bennet for his U.S. Senate votes in favor of Trump appointees, particularly Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, who attempted to withhold food assistance benefits for low-income families.

• He said the next governor needs "moral clarity" to fight Trump.

What they're saying: "I know in Washington, D.C., sometimes there's pressure to go along, and Sen. Bennet voted for more of Trump's cabinet than almost any Democrat in the Senate," Weiser said at the outset of the debate, hosted by Denver 7, the Denver Post and Colorado Public Radio.

• Bennet countered that he opposed 95% of Trump's appointees and admitted he regretted voting for Energy Secretary Chris Wright, a Coloradan. But Bennet doubled down on his support for Rollins, saying the state will need her help in a bad wildfire season.

Between the lines: Bennet's support for five Trump cabinet members and one ambassador is Weiser's main attack line. Hours before the debate, his campaign published a website attacking Bennet for those votes.

The other side: Bennet is firing back at Weiser, arguing he did too little to oppose Trump during the president's first administration, suggesting his rival is a come-lately who is just trying to gain attention.

• Weiser has joined or filed 64 lawsuits against the Trump administration in its second term, but in its first, he jumped on less than one-third of the lawsuits filed by other state attorneys general against Trump, Bennet highlighted.
• "That is not the kind of leadership that we need," Bennet said. "Instead, we need somebody who's going to stand up to Trump."

The bottom line: Trump looms large in the campaign, making it harder for both candidates to outline their plans for Colorado.