U.S. Senate candidates face college students concerned about housing costs, immigration policy

Two candidates in one of the country’s most closely watched races for the U.S. Senate faced a panel of Metropolitan State University of Denver students this month to answer questions on how they plan to address soaring housing costs, immigration reform and the multitude of global challenges facing the U.S.

Incumbent U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, a Democrat, and his challenger, Republican Joe O’Dea, appeared separately in The Solution Studio, a candidate forum presented by MSU Denver’s Institute for Public Service in collaboration with New Voices Strategies and the Colorado Latino Leadership, Advocacy and Research Organization.

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Two focus groups consisting of working-adult MSU Denver students met in August to discuss economic and quality-of-life challenges they’re facing. A panel of four students used information gleaned from those focus groups to inform their questions to candidates, including what they would do to curb soaring housing costs that make homeownership unattainable for many Coloradans.

Immigration, including border security and a recent federal court ruling that foreshadows the end of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, was also top of mind for students on the panel, one of whom is a DACA student herself.

Here’s how the candidates responded to questions about these and other issues, including the U.S. role in turbulent global affairs, such as Russia’s war in Ukraine.

The panel videos were recorded and produced by students in MSU Denver’s Department of Journalism and Media Production.