It's a fascinating turning point. Senator Michael Bennet is using the gay issue to his advantage against his Republican rival in Colorado. Buck recently compared being gay to being born with a tendency to alcoholism. The issue emerged in the debate:
“The homosexuality question occupied all of maybe 20 seconds of the debate, and yet it's going to produce most of the headlines out of the debate,” independent Denver-based political analyst Eric Sondermann said. “Those are not the headlines Ken Buck wanted.” ... Bennet jumped on Buck's remark. “I absolutely believe he's outside the mainstream of views on this,” Bennet said. Buck spent much of a debate insisting that he hasn't changed his positions to appeal to moderate voters in a Senate contest that has become one of the nation's most competitive.
A generational issue here too? Bennet is 45, the cusp of the generational shift on the gay question; Buck is 50.
(Full disclosure: Bennet is also my editor's brother.)