Hickenlooper, a Democrat seeking a second term, repeatedly tied Baisley to Trump and told voters that supporting the Republican state senator would help the president. He also acknowledged widespread frustration with the country’s direction among voters across party lines.

“There was a lot of unhappiness and frustration, not just with Democrats — Republicans, independents,” Hickenlooper said. He added that he sensed “impatience and a sense of urgency that we need to change.”

Hickenlooper said he regretted supporting any of Trump’s Cabinet nominees. While saying he did not want Iran to obtain nuclear weapons, he opposed the ongoing war with the country.

Baisley defended the war and said he supported Trump putting Iranians “back where they ought to be.” He also said he trusted Trump’s decision to strike a diesel-fuel deal with Russia and suggested high gas prices were worth the cost.

On abortion, Baisley said he would vote for a national ban, but expressed uncertainty about whether an earlier proposal of his to criminalize abortion had been the right approach.

The debate also revisited Baisley’s past positions. He said he did not recall co-sponsoring a 2020 Colorado bill that would have barred same-sex marriage and prohibited same-sex couples from adopting. He described marriage as a religious institution rather than something government should license. Baisley also questioned why moderator Kyle Clark did not assume that rioters who attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 were left-wing protesters, a claim Baisley had previously made.

Hickenlooper’s campaign is taking place in a state where Democrats hold a strong advantage. The debate moderator noted that the contest was unlikely to determine which party controls the Senate. Hickenlooper, 74, has served as Denver mayor, Colorado governor and U.S. senator, and has said he intends to leave office after the second term he is seeking.

His closest challenge so far came in the June Democratic primary, when state Sen. Julie Gonzales came within 6 percentage points of defeating him. Hickenlooper is heavily favored against Baisley in the Nov. 3 election, according to the account of the race.

Baisley’s campaign also faces a substantial financial gap. By the end of September, he had raised less than $130,000, while Hickenlooper had more than $2 million remaining after the primary. Campaign finance records showed no outside spending supporting Baisley at that point.

In his closing remarks, Baisley rejected the suggestion he was aligned with Trump, saying, “If I’m anybody’s sycophant, it’s Thomas Jefferson.” He criticized Colorado’s Democratic leadership and called for a smaller, more restrained government.

Baisley has also defended congressional Republicans’ Medicaid cuts by saying they were intended to cut off benefits for immigrants without legal status. Undocumented immigrants are not eligible for federal Medicaid, however.