In watching the debate last night at the Southridge Rec Center, we looked at both style and substance in grading each of the 6th CD candidates and here are Wally's conclusions:

Mike Coffman Grade: A

The only thing negative that we can say about Coffman’s performance was that the hand signals and gestures between he and his wife Cynthia were distracting at times. And just a little too obvious. Sure, Mike should have gone out in front of the crowd just like Steve Ward, but Cynthia looked like a nag in mentioning it with her hands. Otherwise Coffman looked exactly like you’d expect a congressman to look. He was well informed, smooth and persuasive.

Steve Ward Grade: B

Ward was probably the biggest winner of the night, although expectations for him were pretty low. Still as rough as we’ve been on him in this column, we have to admit, he could be fill out the suit of a congressman. Of course that’s not saying much. Mark Twain once remarked that congressmen were the only native criminal class in America. Still Ward was persuasive on the Iraq war, and energy, although we think he’s out of step with the district on some issues like the draft and a guest worker program.

Ted Harvey Grade: C-

Harvey did his usual “I’m the most conservative” talk, which sells in the 6th CD. But one gets the impression people are skeptical of Harvey’s patented line “I’ll be Nancy Pelosi’s worst nightmare.” Harvey’s record has not been that impressive in the legislature and he seemed petty when pointing out minor differences between himself and his opponents. Still, the district is very conservative and Harvey probably best represents what Tancredo stood for in substance even if he’s lacking in style points. The problem is that Tancredo was never considered that wonderful a congressman, even he was right about immigration, and the district deserves an upgrade.

Wil Armstrong Grade: D

Armstrong was outclassed all night by the professional politicians on stage. Whether it was his Kermit-the-frog-like pursing of his lips as he listened or several of the notable gaffs he made, Armstrong has shown that he still has a long way to go to catch the other guys if he wants to go to congress. He stumbled in saying that he knew of no one who thought they paid “too much in taxes,” when obviously meant to say “too little.” He also stumbled in saying he would let the generals decide when victory was achieved in Iraq, a mistake that Ward took full advantage of. More practice and more preparation for young Wil Armstrong is highly recommended.