Senate candidates deny climate change, discuss federal agencies to eliminate (video)

If you missed Tuesday night’s debate at Davidson College with the leading candidates in the Republican U.S. Senate primary, you missed Rev. Mark Harris, Heather Grant, Dr. Greg Brannon and House Speaker Thom Tillis all deny the existence of climate change.

Think Progress recounts the first debate of the primary season this way:

“Is climate change a fact?” the moderator asked in the video, which was posted by Buzzfeed. The questioned produced a brief flurry of laughter from the audience as well as several repressed snickers from the candidates. All four then followed with a curt “no” — though Brannon did append “God controls the climate” to his answer.

Here’s how the News and Observer’s John Frank and the Charlotte Observer’s Jim Morrill and Ely Portillo summed up the hour-long face off:

‘Despite the need to differentiate themselves, the four candidates found more common ground. All oppose the Affordable Care Act. All oppose medical marijuana. All want to eliminate federal agencies. All believe Russia is the biggest foreign policy threat. And all believe climate change is not a fact.

Each named different federal departments they want to eliminate: Tillis said the Department of Education and Mark Harris said Education, Energy and Commerce, Grant said the Environmental Protection Agency and Greg Brannon named four departments, Health and Human Services, Education, the Federal Reserve and the Internal Revenue Service.’

WRAL hosts a second debate this evening at 7:00 p.m., again with Harris, Grant, Brannon, and Tillis.

Some of the less well-known candidates vying for a chance to take on U.S. Senator Kay Hagan will get their chance to share their platforms on Thursday evening.

Your final chance to hear from the GOP Senate hopefuls comes Monday when UNC-TV will host a one-hour debate at 7:00 p.m. in a statewide broadcast.