DENVER -- The three major candidates for governor sat down with 7NEWS anchor Anne Trujillo for a gubernatorial debate on Tuesday afternoon.

The debate aired at 10:35 p.m. Tuesday uncut and commercial-free. It's also available to watch in its entirety by clicking on the video links to the right.

One of the questions a viewer submitted for the candidates asked about how the three would fund K-12 education even with a state budget that continues to get cut itself.

"There are certain things we can do in Colorado without any new money that really can change the way our schools, our students, achieve. One is to get kids to work harder in school," said Democratic candidate John Hickenlooper. "Until we get the businesses going and additional tax revenues, I think we can do an awful lot of positive good just with the resources that we have."

"At a certain point there is no longer a positive correlation between that increase in funding and educational outcomes. Structural changes have to occur in order to achieve that. Certainly choice is one of those things that has to happen in the public school system," said American Constitution Party candidate Tom Tancredo.

"The unions have to stop protecting their teachers, they have to stop protecting their revenue source and they have to get serious about taking care of our children. And, that does mean vouchers. That does mean competition. That does mean home-schooling, it does mean charter schooling, as well as public and private school," said Republican candidate Dan Maes.

The three had differing viewpoints on three controversial ballot issues. Amendment 60 would reduce property taxes. Amendment 61 would limit state and local borrowing. Proposition 101 would reduce the state income tax and reduce vehicle registration fees to $10.

Maes favors Amendment 60, but opposes 61 and 101.

"The administration needs to get a clear message that we can't be raising taxes without voter's approval," said Maes.

Tancredo is in favor of Amendment 60 and Proposition 101, but is against Amendment 61.

"The end of the world will not occur if 60 or 101 passes -- well actually any of them -- but the reality is I do not support 61," said Tancredo.

Hickenlooper is against all three ballot issues.

"These three initiatives, even though I understand where they're coming, are the wrong solution. Basically it's going to cost jobs, just when we're trying to create jobs," said Hickenlooper. "When you're in the bottom of a deep recession is not the time to say 'all right, well now I'm going to take out a machete and start hacking away at whatever's remaining in the budget.'"

When discussing medical marijuana, the three candidates talked about regulation and legalization.

"I really would entertain a debate on the issue of legalization of marijuana. I want to think of whatever we can do to take the money out of this," said Tancredo. "You know the idea of legalizing, regulating, taxing."

"They need to chemically take out the beneficial product, put it in a pharmaceutical and manage it like a pharmaceutical," said Maes. "We have to now start reigning this tighter and managing it more like a controlled substance. This is not the time to legalize marijuana."

"When you tax it -- to say -- as we tax this we're going to make sure we put those resources towards eliminating the abuse, make sure we have some sting operations in place," said Hickenlooper, who opposes legalization but would be open to appropriate regulation.