Hickenlooper and Baisley meet in US Senate debate

FORT COLLINS — Democratic U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper and his challenger, Republican state Sen. Mark Baisley, discussed issues ranging from fuel prices to Social Security during a debate Sunday at Colorado State University.

Hickenlooper, a fixture in Colorado politics for two decades, presented himself as the candidate who can bring about change in Washington and push back against President Donald Trump if Democrats take control of Congress.

“We need to do everything we can to flip the House and the Senate, get this country back on the right track again,” Hickenlooper, the former Colorado governor and Denver mayor, said during his opening remarks in The Colorado Sun-sponsored debate at the Lory Student Center.

While he has supported much of Trump’s agenda, Baisley downplayed the importance of Trump in the race, noting that the president only has two more years left in his second term but the winner of the Senate race will represent Colorado for six years. 

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mark Baisley and incumbent Democratic Sen. John Hickenlooper participate in a debate hosted by The Colorado Sun at Colorado State University on Oct. 11, 2026, in Fort Collins. (Cheney Orr, The Colorado Sun via Report for America)

“We need to participate more rather than fighting Trump every step of the way,” said Baisley, a Woodland Park resident who has worked in technology, aerospace and defense. He was elected to the state Senate in 2022 after serving in the state House of Representatives. 

Here’s a look at what the candidates had to say on some of the issues:

Fuel prices

Both Hickenlooper and Baisley said they would support temporarily suspending federal gas and diesel taxes to help Americans.

However, they disagreed on Trump’s recent deal to obtain diesel from Russia in an attempt to bring down fuel prices during the war with Iran.

Hickenlooper opposed it, saying “Russia is going to take that money that we’re giving them and use it to attack our ally Ukraine.”

Incumbent Democratic Sen. John Hickenlooper speaks during a debate hosted by The Colorado Sun at Colorado State University on Oct. 11, 2026, in Fort Collins. (Cheney Orr, The Colorado Sun via Report for America)

Baisley said he supported the diesel deal.

“I think we’re just doing what we have to do because diesel needs to get refined,” he said. 

Immigration

Hickenlooper said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was operating like a “secret police force.” He also blamed the Trump administration for allowing the GEO Group, the private company that runs the Aurora immigration detention center, to evade state health inspectors over a reported tuberculosis case there. 

When pressed on what he could do to make sure the Aurora center complies with state and local health standards, Hickenlooper said he called Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and lodged a complaint. If the facility still doesn’t allow county and state health officials to see what steps they have taken, he said he could file a lawsuit to force compliance. 

Baisley said the people held in immigration detention deserve care and respect. If they are not being treated well, he said lawmakers can call officials to answer questions from Congress and lean on agencies to address problems. He said he would also call officials but he thought it might be easier for him to talk to them than Hickenlooper because he said Hickenlooper has a “stressful relationship” with the administration. 

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mark Baisley speaks during a debate hosted by The Colorado Sun at Colorado State University on Oct. 11, 2026, in Fort Collins. (Cheney Orr, The Colorado Sun via Report for America)

“They would be very receptive to me and I would make that phone call,” Baisley said. 

Social Security

Baisley said the “Trump accounts” created as a savings tool for children could be the solution to a looming funding crisis for Social Security. Social Security benefits are expected to drop nearly 25% starting in 2032 unless Congress takes action, according to the Social Security Board of Trustees.

“If we put in as little as $3,000 probably for each new child born in America, by the time that they are 65, they will have over a million dollars to retire on,” he said. 

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mark Baisley speaks during a debate hosted by The Colorado Sun at Colorado State University on Oct. 11, 2026, in Fort Collins. (Cheney Orr, The Colorado Sun via Report for America)

(Currently, some babies are eligible to receive $1,000 from the government for the accounts. The rules now allow those with accounts to access their money after they turn 18 for college tuition, home down payments and other approved needs.)

Hickenlooper disagreed, saying the country doesn’t have 40 years to wait for interest to compound on those savings accounts. He said wealthy people may have to pay more to support the system, which he said has been endangered by tax cuts included in H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. (Currently earnings over $184,500 aren’t subject to Social Security taxes.)

The economy and cost of living

Baisley said the economy will do better if the government shrinks and focuses on facilitating commerce rather than getting in the way.

“Our economy will cook when our government is smaller,” he said.

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mark Baisley, left, and incumbent Democratic Sen. John Hickenlooper shake hands following a debate hosted by The Colorado Sun at Colorado State University on Oct. 11, 2026, in Fort Collins. (Cheney Orr, The Colorado Sun via Report for America)

In answering a question posed by Baisley about why Colorado has become such an expensive place to live, Hickenlooper at first focused on federal funding withheld to Colorado, including disaster aid, blaming Trump’s grievances with the state over the prosecution and conviction of former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters related to an elections system security breach. Hickenlooper added that he thought Colorado’s economy was “taking a pause” after growing at an above average rate for 14 of the last 16 years. 

“We get the right support from Washington and we can make great strides,” he said.