New Poll From American Political Research Lab At CU Boulder Shows Polis 12 Points Ahead
By Alan Gionet
BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4)- A new poll out today shows Democrat Jared Polis twelve points ahead of Republican Walker Stapleton in the race for governor in Colorado and a broad disparity in support for Pres. Donald Trump between Republicans and Democrats.
The poll comes from The Colorado Political Climate Survey by the American Political Research Lab at CU.
The poll found near identical support for Polis among male and female voters; 53 percent of male voters and 54 percent of female voters supported Polis. It shows Polis leads the race 54 percent to 42 percent over Stapleton.
The poll also shows a 9-point lead in the generic congressional ballot. That was a poll question asking voters whether they'll vote for Democrats or Republicans in congressional races.
Pres. Trump's approval in Colorado hovers around 40 percent, mirroring national trends. Mr. Trump remains very popular among Republicans; 89 percent of Republican voters expressed approval or strong approval of him.
Among Democrats, only three percent expressed approval.
Study authors Scott Adler, chair of the political science department and head of the American Political Research Lab, Associate Professor Anand Sokhey and graduate student Carey Stapleton, wrote, "We see some evidence of a modest gender divide on approval of the president, with more women expressing disapproval."
Among Constitutional amendments and propositions on the ballot, the poll found four likely to pass:
Amendment Y, which would create a commission responsible for approving district maps for Colorado's congressional districts.
Amendment 73, which would raise corporate income taxes, establish a tax bracket system versus a flat tax rate and raise taxes for people earning more than $150,000 per year, as well as creating the "Quality Public Education Fund."
Amendment 74, which would require property owners be compensated for any reduced property value caused by the state.
Proposition 111, which would cut the annual interest rate and eliminate other finance charges and fees on payday loans.
The study found Proposition 112, the initiative requiring greater oil and gas setbacks for new development projects too close to call, with 52 percent in support and 48 percent opposed.
One Amendment looks likely to fail: Amendment 75, which would mean the expansion of eligibility in campaign contributions allowed if a candidate for state office directs more than $1 million in support of his or her own campaign.
The poll was web based and administered to a panel of Coloradans by the company YouGov between Oct. 12-17. There were 800 responses to a poll representative of registered voters. The sample has an overall margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percent.
Alan Gionet is anchor of CBS4 This Morning and reports on a wide variety of issues and "Good Question" stories. He started at CBS4 in 1994. Follow Alan on Twitter @AlanGTV or on Facebook.
