Hickenlooper Promises Permanent Tip Tax Cut in Colorado Race

"Vengo del world of restaurants, so I would make permanent the tax cut for tipped employees."

That’s John Hickenlooper, the 74-year-old former Denver mayor and Colorado governor, defending his record in the state’s Senate race. He’s running against Mark Baisley, a 71-year-old Republican and state senator from Woodland Park. The stakes? Control of Colorado’s voice in Washington on everything from healthcare to tariffs.

Let’s do the math on the tax fight. Hickenlooper wants to keep the tip income deduction alive — a direct nod to his past as a restaurateur. But he also wants to restore higher federal income tax rates for the top earners, which were slashed by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1). In practice, that means more money flowing to the federal government from high-income households, potentially funding other programs.

Baisley, on the other hand, loves the status quo. He praised H.R. 1 for making nearly all the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act provisions permanent. He didn’t name a single tax cut he’d scrap. "I appreciate everything I’ve seen in that law," he said. Translation: don’t touch my wallet.

Now, Medicaid. This is where the rhetoric gets spicy.

Hickenlooper opposes the work requirements mandated by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. "They’re punitive," he argued. "They treat people who are going through hard times in their lives as if they’re somehow corrupt." It’s a classic liberal defense: the system should help, not judge.

Baisley supports the work requirements. He frames leaving Medicaid as a success story and staying on it as a failure. It’s a conservative nudge: get off the dole and get to work.

On paper, both candidates sound reasonable. In practice, their policies will hit different pockets of the population. Hickenlooper’s plan favors service workers and low-to-middle-income families. Baisley’s plan favors small business owners and those who can easily transition out of safety nets.

The Colorado Sun interviewed both men on economy, health, immigration, and more. Their answers reveal a clear divide: one side wants to soften the edges of federal policy; the other wants to lock in the current Republican agenda.

For locals, the bottom line is simple. If Hickenlooper wins, expect higher taxes on the wealthy and continued support for tipped workers. If Baisley wins, expect the 2017 tax cuts to stay permanent and stricter rules for Medicaid recipients. Your paycheck and your healthcare coverage depend on who gets that second term.