LAKEWOOD, Colo. — Republican State Sen. Mark Baisley’s bid for the U.S. Senate ended Tuesday night, with Democratic incumbent John Hickenlooper winning another term.
Speaking with Denver7 at the Colorado Republican Party’s election-night gathering in Lakewood, Baisley said he had called Hickenlooper to concede.
Watch Denver7's Jaclyn Allen report on the statewide losses for the Colorado GOP in the video below:
Baisley said Hickenlooper was gracious during the call and that he offered to work with the senator when they could find common ground benefiting Colorado.
“I just said, 'Listen, if there’s something that I can do to help you, something that is advantageous and beneficial to the state of Colorado that we both love, then you got my number. Call me up,'” Baisley said. “So he said that he would. So we’ll see if he does call.”
But Baisley also used the loss to reflect on the challenges facing Republicans in a state where the party has struggled to win statewide races.
He acknowledged what he described as “a lot of dysfunction” within the Colorado Republican Party and said Republicans need to examine how they communicate their ideas to voters.
“I think we need to go retreat and regroup for sure,” Baisley said. “But the balance we’re going to need to strike is how well do we message while not compromising on the principles that we know work.”
When asked what needs to change, Baisley pointed specifically to the party’s messaging and financial position. He said Republicans need to recruit people who can help rebuild and fund the state party while doing a better job explaining conservative positions on issues such as affordability and housing.
Baisley also raised the question of whether President Donald Trump’s style may have affected Republican candidates.
“I do think that we need to assess whether the bold loudness, the delivery of our president, if that has affected things,” Baisley said.
Baisley said he supports much of what Trump has done, though not everything, but acknowledged having reservations about the president’s delivery.
“You cringe a bit, you know, in the delivery,” he said. “So maybe that’s it. Maybe it’s as simple as that.”
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Baisley entered the race after eight years as a state lawmaker and campaigned as a conservative alternative to Hickenlooper, the former Colorado governor and Denver mayor.
Before Election Day, Baisley told Denver7 he believed Coloradans were ready for new representation.
“We have been single-party rule for so long. If things had just improved and it was markedly better, I think we would look forward to a lot more blue. But that’s not the case,” Baisley said.
He acknowledged at the time that he was challenging one of the state’s most recognizable political figures.
“John Hickenlooper is the best-known politician in the state. No two ways about it,” Baisley said. “So, I’m offering the alternative to those folks who would say, ‘Yeah, time for John to go brew beer again.’”
Baisley, who has described his governing philosophy as supporting a “small and frugal government,” previously told Denver7 that running for the U.S. Senate was not something he took lightly.
“When I look at the mission of the United States Senate, it is such a lofty position that I barely feel worthy of asking for that role myself,” Baisley said. “But to waste that in the way that it seems to be wasted now, I think we need to do better.”
As for what comes next personally, Baisley said he entered the race without a backup plan.
“I did not have a plan B, so ask me next week.”
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