Upset Brief · Colorado U.S. Senate · Mark Baisley (R) vs. John Hickenlooper (D), incumbent
A long shot on the math: it takes a 10.4-point national wave.
2%
odds today
7%
odds with the plan
350,023
net votes to find
37
days left; voting starts October 2
Where
- 01+12,440El Paso CountyStarting line Baisley +9. 7,662 persuadable voters leaning Hickenlooper; 98,266 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022.
- 02+8,564Jefferson CountyStarting line Hickenlooper +20. 7,518 persuadable voters leaning Hickenlooper; 63,804 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022.
- 03+7,611Douglas CountyStarting line Baisley +7. 5,743 persuadable voters leaning Hickenlooper; 54,851 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022.
- 04+7,463Arapahoe CountyStarting line Hickenlooper +22. 6,375 persuadable voters leaning Hickenlooper; 70,142 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022.
- 05+6,276Weld CountyStarting line Baisley +20. 2,464 persuadable voters leaning Hickenlooper; 51,697 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022.
- 06+6,223Denver CountyStarting line Hickenlooper +61. 5,823 persuadable voters leaning Hickenlooper; 81,590 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022.
The top 12 counties carry 81% of the plan.
How
- P+59,628Persuade59,628 voters who split their ticket in recent elections and lean Hickenlooper today.
- M+15,316MobilizeAt least 161,602 people who voted in 2024 but not in 2022, in counties where Baisley's side wins at least 55 percent.
- C+10,184ConsolidateVoters who went third party in recent races, in the counties that lean Baisley's way.
Plus a national shift of 10.4 points of margin (264,895 votes) that no campaign controls.
What has to be true
- Baisley wins 50 percent of the ticket splitters now leaning Hickenlooper.
- In the precincts Baisley's side carries in El Paso County and Weld County, 35 percent of the people who voted in 2024 but skipped 2022 come back and vote.
- The national environment moves about 10.4 points toward Baisley's side between now and November 3.
- No 2026 public poll exists for this race, so the starting line is a weighted blend of official recent results; the first real poll will move it.
The numbers behind it
- 01Crossover regression3,160 precincts, R² 0.976, 628 crossover precincts identified
- 02Monte Carlo20,000 seeded simulated elections with a 7-point baseline error. 90% range of the final margin with the plan: -556,923 to 30,393 votes.
- 03Money, FEC candidate totals through June 30Baisley $50,021 cash on hand; Hickenlooper $2,083,870.
- 04Call program for this list213,869 households, 641,608 dials, about 33,620 live conversations: an estimated $58,793 at published rates.
Independent analysis by The Political Group from official Colorado Secretary of State precinct returns (2022 and 2024), FEC filings and published polls, as of September 26, 2026. Not affiliated with any candidate or party.