Denver voters shift approval for Mayor Mike Johnston, according to new poll

A new snapshot of sentiment comes from the Colorado Polling Institute. Hundreds of Denver voters were surveyed for the poll, with results of note, including optimism for the city's future and a shift in approval for Mayor Mike Johnston. 

With two years now on his resume, Denver voters are evenly split on their view of how Mayor Johnston has performed, but there's been a significant increase in Denverites who say they now have an unfavorable impression compared to last year. 

Budget issues and handling of homelessness and immigrants are primary reasons for his disapproval. Just last month he announced the layoff of around 170 city workers and hundreds more vacant positions. 

"Obviously, no city ever wants to have to go through budget cuts or any of these hard decisions," Johnston told CBS Colorado at an event Thursday morning. 

Meanwhile, a slight majority at 51% of voters believe Denver as a city is still heading in the right direction under Johnston's leadership. That's an improvement over the 44% who responded that way two years ago. 

"We think there's a real sense of optimism and opportunity for growth that the city says, all right, we've been through some hard stuff, but some of these things we're working on are actually having an impact," said Johnston. 

72% of surveyed voters also say they feel safe in Denver. Safety has been a large focal point for Johnston as he's increased police presence and mounted patrol downtown.

"We're always looking at the end outcomes we're delivering," said Johnston. "Is the city getting safer? Is homelessness getting better? Is more economic investment coming back to downtown? So those are the metrics we use."

The poll may give us a sneak peek at whether Johnston's nearly $1 billion bond to improve the city's infrastructure and community spaces will pass in November. Nearly two-thirds of the respondents indicated that they would approve the bond. 

"This will spur about 10,000 new jobs; it will drive about $2 billion of private investment. So those things we want to be doing in uncertain times, and for us, this is a clear sign to keep doing that."

Although voters expressed support for the 2025 Vibrant Denver Bond, more than half of those surveyed hadn't heard a single thing about it heading into the poll. So, education and awareness might be something for the city to focus on.