Colorado GOP U.S Senate candidate defends Trump's Iran war
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Colorado state Sen. Mark Baisley speaks at a January 2024 press conference at the state Capitol. Photo: Helen H. Richardson/Denver Post via Getty Images
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mark Baisley defended President Trump's war in Iran during a televised debate Wednesday, arguing that high gas prices are a necessary cost of confronting terrorism.
Why it matters: The war has become a dividing line in Colorado's Senate race as rising fuel costs squeeze families and businesses — and Congress faces questions about whether to rein in Trump's military campaign.
State of play: Baisley, a Republican state senator from Woodland Park, clashed with Democratic incumbent U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper in their first and only TV debate on 9News.
What they're saying: Baisley argued that military action was overdue, citing decades of deadly Iranian attacks on Americans and support for terrorism.
- "It's about time that a president stood up to them," Baisley said.
Pressed about rising gas prices, Baisley said: "We're going to all have to pay a little bit more … that's unfortunate."
- "But we have to stand up to the bullies," he said, arguing that keeping gas prices low shouldn't come at the expense of American lives.
Yes, but: The Republican firmly rejected sending U.S. troops into Iran.
The other side: Hickenlooper condemned Trump's war as reckless and pushed for an improbable resolution.
- "We'd have to sit down and negotiate with Iranians in a global setting of saying how do we make sure you're not going to have nuclear weapons," he said.
- Asked about previous negotiations, he acknowledged that the Obama and Biden administrations hadn't pushed hard enough.
- He left open the possibility of limited strikes if Iran blocked inspectors and evidence showed it was developing a nuclear weapon. "But we don't try to take out the entire regime. We don't try to destroy the entire country," he said.
Between the lines: Hickenlooper, a former Denver mayor and governor, has made opposition to the war a central campaign issue.
- In August, he backed a war-powers resolution that would halt U.S. military action against Iran unless Congress authorized it.
- He later featured the conflict in his first general election TV ad.
The intrigue: The candidates also split over Trump's decision to ease sanctions on Russian diesel to lower fuel prices.
- Hickenlooper called the move "a betrayal," accusing the president of weakening pressure on Russia to protect Republicans ahead of the midterms.
- Baisley expressed discomfort with relying on Russia but deferred to Trump: "I'm going to trust the president is making a wise decision in the long run."
The bottom line: Hickenlooper is the odds-on favorite in the race, with a fundraising and name-recognition advantage, while Baisley is betting that standing with Trump on Iran won't cost him at the ballot box.