Past and present Senate candidates from Colorado: on Tax Reform
Bob Schaffer:
Cutting taxes increased revenue & unleashed economic growth
Q: It has been your party, in all fairness, that has been in charge for the most part of the last eight years, and it has run up record deficits of now $500 billion. SCHAFFER: You’re correct that under Republican leadership, deficits grew, and I think
it has mainly been a function of war. However, I was in Congress for six years. I got elected 1996; I left in 2002. During those years, we did balance the budget. We did it by trimming the rate of growth in spending, but more than anything else, the tax
cuts that we helped pushed forward, which applied to middle class households. Mark Udall likes to talk about it as tax cuts for the rich--but we actually grew the economy faster than had been projected--we actually increased the amount of revenue coming
to the federal government while we were slowing down the rate of growth in spending and reforming on the regulatory side. Welfare reform, for example, & other reforms, helped unleash the productivity of the economy. We need to do that again.
Source: 2008 Colorado Senate Debate on Meet the Press
Sep 28, 2008
Cory Gardner:
Voted for President Trump's 2017 tax cut
Q: Support administration's $1.9 trillion (2017) tax cuts?Corey Gardner: Yes. Voted for the 2017 tax cut. "My goal was to bring relief to hard-working Coloradans ., and I'm proud that after months of work, we've achieved this goal."
John Hickenlooper: No. "Congress should not pass on almost $1.5 trillion in additional debt to future generations, and hand out tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans who don't need them."
Source: CampusElect on 2020 Colorado Senate race
Oct 10, 2020
Darryl Glenn:
Simplicity & neutrality: lower capital gains & dividends tax
Our tax code is cumbersome, bureaucratic and a deterrent to a robust economy. A legitimate tax reform policy must recognize that the purpose of a tax system in a free society should be to fund services that are authorized by the Constitution.
Taxes should not be used to redistribute wealth and fund unnecessary or ineffective programs. Comprehensive tax reform is critical to restoring our economic growth, job creation and international competitiveness.Unfortunately, our current tax system
is overly complex, filled with policies that pick winners over losers and creates a disincentive for personal savings and investments. Our tax system must be transformed around two basic elements: simplicity and neutrality. We need to focus on adopting
a fair or flat tax policy that positively impacts job creation and promotes innovation without penalizing personal savings and investments. Consideration must also be given to eliminating the double taxation around dividends and capital gains.
Source: 2016 Colorado Senate campaign website ElectDarrylGlenn.com
Apr 14, 2016
Joe O`Dea:
Signed pledge to oppose any and all tax increases
O'Dea announced his signing of the Americans for Tax Reform's Taxpayer's Protection Pledge.
"Enough is enough," said Joe O'Dea. "We don't need more government in our lives and we certainly do not need more taxes." The Taxpayer Protection Pledge is a written commitment to oppose any and all tax increases.
Source: 2022 Colorado Senate campaign website JoeODea.com
Apr 19, 2022
John Hickenlooper:
Don't pass on $1.5 trillion new debt to future generations
Q: Support administration's $1.9 trillion (2017) tax cuts?John Hickenlooper: No. "Congress should not pass on almost $1.5 trillion in additional debt to future generations, and hand out tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans who don't need them."
Corey Gardner: Yes. Voted for the 2017 tax cut. "My goal was to bring relief to hard-working Coloradans, and I'm proud that after months of work, we've achieved this goal."
Source: CampusElect on 2020 Colorado Senate race
Oct 10, 2020
Jon Keyser:
Reform our tax code so it is simple and fair
Jon will fight to give job creators every opportunity to succeed in our new bottom-up economic system.
That starts with cutting regulations and reforming our tax code so it is simple and fair. Colorado families will prosper when we unleash the power of innovators and job creators.
Source: 2016 Colorado Senate campaign website JonKeyser.com
Feb 3, 2016
Ken Buck:
Extend Bush tax cuts & cut spending to pay for it
Q: Do you agree with Republican leaders who say that tax cuts do not have to be paid for?BUCK: No, I don't. I think we've got to find spending cuts. And I don't know what you're talking about in terms of tax cuts.
Q: Extending the Bush-era tax cuts
for the highest earners. The president says it would cost an extra $700 billion. If you want to cut that deficit, do you then have to pay for the tax cuts you want to extend?
BUCK: Well, first, where are the families going to pay for the money that
they've got to send the federal government? That's the bigger question to me.
Q: You either believe in the balanced budget or you do not. If you extend tax cuts, you said just a moment ago they have to be paid for. Then how do you pay for it?
BUCK:
We pay for it by cutting spending. When we leave money in the hands of taxpayers, they buy things; they pay taxes. It's not a one for one exchange. Every economist I've talked to has told me that it would be bad in a recession to try to increase taxes.
Source: NBC's Meet the Press: 2010 Colorado Senate debate
Oct 17, 2010
Michael Bennet:
Cut taxes $12B on small businesses
When asked, "What would you do in Congress to create jobs and turn the economy around," both men said the key would be small businesses. Buck said, "As a leader in Washington DC,
I would do everything that I can to make sure that our small business people have a lower tax burden. That those small business people know that we aren't going to pass cap and trade, and cause their energy bills to go up.
That we aren't going to let regulators legislate in administrative settings rather than to have the United State Congress legislating. That we are going to give our small businesses the kind of stability that they need." To which
Bennet fired back by saying, "Two weeks ago, I voted to cut taxes on small businesses in this country by $12 billion. And that bill was opposed by my opponent in this race."
Source: KKTV coverage of 2010 Colorado Senate debate
Oct 7, 2010
Michael Bennet:
Open to compromise on temporarily extending Bush tax cuts
Both men emphasized their willingness to break from party orthodoxy. Bennet said that he'd be "open" to a compromise on "temporarily" extending the
Bush tax cuts for wealthy Americans. Buck told the audience, "I will not swear allegiance to the Republican party in Washington, DC."
Source: ABC News coverage of 2010 Colorado Senate debate
Sep 12, 2010
Michael Bennet:
Reverse Trump tax cuts; restore expanded child tax credit
He vehemently rejected the idea that the expanded child tax credit caused rising prices as it lifted families out of poverty: "It is a ridiculous statement to say $100 billion investment in working people on a $23 trillion dollar economy is going
to drive inflation." Bennet would like to extend those tax credits. Bennet said a bill reversing the Trump tax cuts for the rich, extending tax credits and fighting climate change would be "helpful to me, helpful to the country and helpful to my state."
Source: Politico.com on 2022 Colorado Senate race
May 24, 2022
Ron Hanks:
Fight for limited government & lower taxes
[On political philosophy]: "As my proven conservative record in the Colorado Legislature shows, I will fight--front and center--for limited government, lower taxes, and personal liberties," he states. "Government must be constrained by our Constitution.
One radical party controls Washington and Colorado today. I will fight for regular Coloradans to restore balance and stop out-of-control politicians in Denver and Washington, D.C."
Source: Westword on 2022 Colorado Senate race
Oct 7, 2021
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The above quotations are from Winners and Losers
Senate candidates from Colorado.
- Click here
for definitions & background information on Tax Reform.
- Click here for other issues (main summary page).
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Senatorial candidates on Tax Reform: |
Senate races 2026:
AK:
Dan Sullivan(R,for re-election)
AL:
Tommy Tuberville(R,retiring)
AR:
Tom Cotton(R,for re-election)
CO:
John Hickenlooper(D,for re-election)
DE:
Chris Coons(D,for re-election)
FL:
Ashley Moody(R,appointee)
GA:
Jon Ossoff(D,for re-election)
IA:
Joni Ernst(R,retiring)
ID:
Jim Risch(R,for re-election)
IL:
Richard Durbin(D,retiring)
KS:
Roger Marshall(R,for re-election)
KY:
Mitch McConnell(R,retiring)
LA:
Bill Cassidy(R,for re-election)
MA:
Ed Markey(D,for re-election)
ME:
Susan Collins(R,for re-election)
MI:
Gary Peters(D,retiring)
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2026 races continued...
MN:
Tina Smith(D,retiring)
MS:
Cindy Hyde-Smith(R,for re-election)
MT:
Steve Daines(R,for re-election)
NC:
Thom Tillis(R,retiring)
NE:
Peter Ricketts(R,for re-election)
NH:
Jeanne Shaheen(D,retiring)
NJ:
Cory Booker(D,for re-election)
NM:
Ben Ray Lujan(D,for re-election)
OH:
Jon Husted(R,appointee)
OK:
Markwayne Mullin(R,appointed to Cabinet)
OR:
Jeff Merkley(D,for re-election)
RI:
Jack Reed(D,for re-election)
SC:
Lindsey Graham(R,for re-election)
SD:
Mike Rounds(R,for re-election)
TN:
Bill Hagerty(R,for re-election)
TX:
John Cornyn(R,for re-election)
VA:
Mark Warner(D,for re-election)
WV:
Shelley Moore Capito(R,for re-election)
WY:
Cynthia Lummis(R,retiring)
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Page last updated: Mar 29, 2026