September 07, 2016 11:04 AM UTC

DO NOT Mess With Lily Tang Williams

• 4 Comments
• by: Colorado Pols

As the Grand Junction Sentinel’s Charles Ashby reports, they’ll have three podiums on stage for next Saturday’s Club 20 U.S. Senate debate in Grand Junction–a development that might make the night’s nominal marquee event, well, more interesting than it was:

Thanks to a slight increase in the number of registered Libertarians statewide last month, the party’s candidate for U.S. Senate reached the threshold to qualify to participate in this weekend’s Club 20 debates.

Lily Tang Williams, who’s running against Democratic U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet and GOP rival Darryl Glenn, will be on stage at Two Rivers Convention Center on Saturday…

Williams’ appearance at the debates won’t mark the first time a third-party candidate was allowed to participate, but the first for a statewide race in recent memory.

Even in 2010, when Democrat John Hickenlooper was running against Republican Dan Maes for governor, the third-party candidate, former GOP congressman Tom Tancredo, didn’t qualify because he had joined the American Constitution Party, which didn’t meet the 1 percent threshold.

Lily Tang Williams’ inclusion in Saturday’s U.S. Senate debate is very good news for her campaign and Libertarians in general–a minor party enjoying some added support this year as Donald Trump renders the Republican ticket toxic for a substantial number of voters who would otherwise trend GOP. But it’s also more good news for incumbent Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet, since whatever support Williams attracts to her campaign will logically be subtracted from GOP nominee Darryl Glenn.

In terms of what to expect from Williams in Saturday night’s debate, she has a reputation as a fiery witness in testimony on legislation at the Colorado state capitol–especially gun legislation, which generally sees Williams testifying with room-silencing passion and intensity about growing up in communist China. The story is not always very relevant to, you know, the legislation being debated, but don’t even try to interrupt her.

Anyway, look for Williams to liven up Saturday night’s big debate in Grand Junction. Considerably.