Nov 3, 2026 · primaries held June 30

Colorado - United States Senate

⭐ Colorado hasn't sent a Republican to the Senate since 2014 — this is a seat Democrats are counting on holding. Get caught up ↓

John Hickenlooper

Democrat - Age: 74 · Incumbent

Former Denver mayor and two-term governor seeking a second Senate term.

Campaign website →

Mark Baisley

Republican - Age: 71

State senator from Woodland Park who left the governor's race to run for Senate.

Ballotpedia profile →

Who's ahead? CookSOLID DSabatoSAFE DDDHQSAFE D

Ratings: Cook Political Report (Aug 20), Sabato’s Crystal Ball (Aug 26), Decision Desk HQ (Aug 5). Source →

No reliable head-to-head polling of this general election has been released yet. Nonpartisan handicappers, including the Cook Political Report, rate the race Solid Democratic — Colorado has voted for Democrats in every statewide federal race since 2016.

Cook Political Report Senate ratings → As of July 2026

Where they stand

Tap a topic that's important to you.

HICKENLOOPER SAYS

BAISLEY SAYS

Money & campaign finance

Where each candidate stands on campaign-finance questions.

HICKENLOOPER

BAISLEY

Unknown Ban Congress from trading stocks Unknown

Unknown Takes corporate PAC money Unknown

Fundraising

RAISEDCASH ON HANDUNDER-$200 DONORS

John Hickenlooper

$8.1M$2.1M16% of receipts

Mark Baisley

$138K$50K21% of receipts

Campaign committee totals for the 2025–26 cycle, through June 30, 2026. Under-$200 share is unitemized individual contributions divided by total receipts. FEC filings →

Their big promises

HICKENLOOPER'S TOP 3

Fix the affordability emergency

Lower drug, housing, and energy costs and hold "the Epstein class" accountable.

Keep public lands public

Helped block the attempted sell-off of Colorado's federal public lands.

Shore up Colorado River water

Federal investment in water supplies and wildfire risk reduction across the West.

BAISLEY'S TOP 3

Rein in federal spending

Cut deficits and regulation he says drive up prices for Colorado families.

Unleash American energy

Expand oil, gas, and nuclear production and speed up permitting.

Back the president's agenda

Runs as a conservative ally of the administration on border and economic policy.

Agree or differ?

Keep U.S. Space Command in Colorado Springs

Both have fought to keep the headquarters — and its jobs — in Colorado

AGREE

Continued U.S. military aid to Ukraine

Hickenlooper has voted for every aid package · Baisley is skeptical of open-ended foreign aid

DIFFER

Legalize marijuana federally

Hickenlooper: yes, backs federal legalization · Baisley: opposes it

DIFFER

Expand background checks for gun sales

Hickenlooper: supports universal checks · Baisley: opposes new federal gun laws

DIFFER

Federal money for wildfire mitigation

Both back more federal support to reduce wildfire risk in Colorado's forests

AGREE

Reform the Senate filibuster

Hickenlooper: open to reform for key bills · Baisley: keep the 60-vote rule

DIFFER

Their stories

JOHN HICKENLOOPER

1952Born in Pennsylvania; came to Colorado as a geologist, then opened Denver's first brewpub.

2003Elected mayor of Denver; served two terms.

2011Governor of Colorado for eight years; briefly ran for president in 2020.

2020Unseated Sen. Cory Gardner; says this reelection bid will be his last Senate campaign.

MARK BAISLEY

CareerSpent decades in the aerospace and defense industry before politics.

2018Elected to the Colorado House from Douglas and Teller counties.

2022Won a state Senate seat covering much of central Colorado.

2026Dropped his run for governor to take on Hickenlooper; unopposed for the nomination.

The backstory

Positions summarized from campaign websites, voting records, and news reports · July 2026
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