Ken Buck Defends "High Heels" Joke Against Jane Norton
The Senate race in Colorado for the Republican nomination has been a "no-holds barred" battle between Ken Buck, who is backed by many Tea Party supporters, and the "establishment" candidate, former Lieutenant Governor Jane Norton.
Controversy hit the campaign trail last month after Buck was caught on video saying that Coloradans should vote for him because, "I do not wear high heels." This created a wave of attacks from the Norton camp that Buck was "sexist."
On Monday's Washington Unplugged, Buck responded to these claims in an interview on the eve of the primary. Buck told CBS News' Bob Orr, "My opponent has said a number of times on the campaign trail that people should vote for her because she wears high heels, because she wears a skirt, because she's a woman... She ran a commercial that said Ken Buck should be man enough to do X, Y, and Z... I made a statement, it was a lighthearted statement that I'm man enough, I don't wear high heels and I have cowboy boots on."
Orr asked Buck if the controversy has resulted in a backlash from Coloradans. Buck responded, "I don't really think so. I think people in Colorado are focused on the major issues of the day and while my opponent has tried to make that an issue, I think people are concerned about the $13 trillion of debt, the $100 trillion of unfunded liabilities, the health care bill, the financial reform bill. Those are the things I'm asked about on the campaign trail. I'm not asked about a statement about high heels."
Watch Monday's Washington Unplugged above, also featuring Andrew Romanoff, who is facing off with Sen. Michael Bennet in the Democratic Senate primary in Colorado, and a look at the week ahead with CBS News Chief Political Consultant Marc Ambinder and CBS News National Security Correspondent David Martin.
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"Washington Unplugged," CBSNews.com's exclusive daily politics Webshow, appears live on CBSNews.com each weekday at 2:00 p.m. ET. Click here to check out previous episodes.
