GRAND JUNCTION – The debut debate for U.S. Senate began by asking all three candidates how they would address the looming insolvency of America’s Social Security system, a payroll tax-funded program intended to provide retirement income for those over the age of 62.

U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, a Democrat who has been in office since 2009, said Congress needs to consider getting rid of the income cap. America’s wealthiest taxpayers only pay the Social Security tax on the first $118,000 of their income.

“To make it solvent, we’re going to have to start paying more into it,” Bennet said.

His Republican challenger, Darryl Glenn, an El Paso County commissioner, said the answer to Social Security woes is to create more jobs.

Bennet accused Glenn of not answering the question.

Glenn fired back that that was an answer.

“That’s what happens when you spend way too much time in Washington, D.C., instead of coming down here,” Glenn said.

Saturday night’s debate in downtown Grand Junction was really the first glimpse into how the race between Bennet and Glenn will play out. Until now, Bennet’s TV ads have been positive pieces about his work in Congress. Glenn hasn’t been on TV and this was the first time the two shared a stage together.

Making things interesting, Libertarian candidate Lily Tang Williams also had a podium at the debate.

Her response on Social Security was strikingly pessimistic.

She urged people to assume Social Security will not be there when they retire, because the federal government is incapable of handling our money.

“I will never count on Social Security for myself,” she said. “I don’t trust it. I will offer you an option to opt out if you are under the age of 30.”

Bennet tried to portray Glenn as a obstructionist Republican who would shut down the government and get nothing done.

Glenn accused Bennet of being out of touch with Colorado and working in lockstep with the Democratic Party.

It was a fairly negative exchange, but both candidates stayed away from personal attacks and focused on the policy issues.

Glenn asked Bennet if, knowing what he knows now, he would still support the Iran Nuclear Agreement, a Congress-approved deal that lifted sanctions on Iran allowing billions in aid to flow to the country in exchange for an immediate drawdown of its uranium-enrichment programs.

Bennet said he would still support the deal and countered that Glenn has said he would “rip up the Iran deal.”

“Would you go to Russia to get the 12 tons of enriched uranium … and put it back in Tehran?” he asked.

Glenn countered by asking about reports that $400 million was airlifted into Iran just before the government released Americans being held captive in Tehran. He asked if that was ransom.

Bennet said he had recently been briefed with classified information on the issue. “My answer to that, is that you do not know the answer to that,” he said, eliciting applause.

But Glenn clearly had more support, or at least more vocal support, in the crowd of roughly 500 people in what Republicans consider friendly territory on the Western Slope.

Glenn blamed the federal “spending spree” on President Barack Obama’s administration.

“I’m glad we’re actually getting to substantive issues,” he said when asked about the national debt. “That has doubled under the Obama administrations, and one of the main accomplices is standing right here.”

Glenn said he would support an amendment requiring Congress to balance the budget, but then said a balanced-budget agreement is something he hasn’t seen in Congress. A bill suggesting that proposal is introduced on almost an annual basis, but has never succeeded.

Bennet said 17 percent of the budget is domestic discretionary spending for things like transportation and veterans programs, 18 percent is for defense, and 65 percent is for Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and other programs.

He said the across-the-board cuts on discretionary spending and defense haven’t worked.

“We have to fix the problem on the medical side,” he said, saying he is working on a bipartisan solution to curb out-of-control spending in Medicare.

Meanwhile, Williams said both major parties have proven they are incapable of balancing the budget and cutting the national debt.

“It doesn’t matter which party controls the White House or Congress,” she said. “If you send me to Washington, as a fiscal conservative, I promise you I will not vote for more debt increases.”

Michael Bennet, left, and Darryl Glenn.

Michael Bennet