Last night at the Democratic Party Debate, the latest of a series of Denver mayoral runoff debates and forums between Michael Hancock and Chris Romer, Hancock gave a startling answer about Creationism.
The men answered a series of questions from the audience that were more elaborate, but towards the end of the debate during a rapid-fire round of Yes/No questioning the candidates were both asked:
"Do you believe Creationism and Intelligent Design should be taught in schools?"
Romer answered, "No," as The Denver Post reports.
Hancock, on the other hand, answered, "Yes."
In a statement made later on his campaign website, Hancock, who claims to have misunderstood the question, clarified his quick answer response:
While I am a man of great faith, I believe Creationism and Intelligent Design are religious beliefs that have no place in a public school curriculum. The best place for religion to be taught is at home or a place of worship.
This is not the first flub with regards to Hancock's belief in creationism or evolution. In April, during a sustainability forum style debate at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science before the runoff began, Hancock was asked if he "believed in evolution?" He simply responded, "I believe in God."
And as The Denver Post reported, his campaign later issued a statement stating that Hancock was not given time to completely answer the question and that the candidate does believe in evolution.