AURORA | Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser has pulled ahead of Sen. Michael Bennet in the Democratic primary contest for governor, according to a new poll released Thursday by Public Policy Polling.
Polsters said Weiser leads Bennet 45%-36% among likely Democratic primary voters, with 19% undecided, according to poll results and metrics.
“This poll makes clear that Coloradans trust Phil’s people-powered campaign — not Michael Bennet’s campaign backed by out-of-state billionaires, corporations, and special interests,” Weiser spokesperson Nate Jackson said in a statement. “Phil is powered by historic grassroots support from Coloradans, who know he will fight every day for their freedoms, a more affordable Colorado, and a brighter future for the next generation.”
Bennet’s campaign team played down the significance of the poll.
“As we head into the final five days of this race, Michael is focused on what actually matters: delivering a powerful closing message about his commitment to protecting Colorado from Trump’s lawlessness and delivering the bold results our state deserves,” Bennet campaign spokesperson Jordan Fuja said in a statement. “We are confident in our path to victory on Tuesday.”
Fuja said Weiser would remiss to put much credence in a “two-day PPP robo/text poll that didn’t have one live conversation with an actual voter.”
“This is nothing more than a desperate tactic from the Weiser team to distract from the real stakes of this race: a leader like Michael with a clear vision for the future or another status quo politician like Phil,” Fuja said.
The poll was conducted June 24 and June 25 among 600 likely Democratic primary voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
Public Policy Polling said Weiser’s advantage comes despite Bennet having higher name recognition since the race for governor began between the two Democrats.
Public Policy Polling attributed Weiser’s lead largely to younger voters. The survey found Weiser leading 62%-21% among voters under age 45. Bennet led 43%-37% among older voters.
Fighting for Colorado, a political action committee supporting Weiser, paid for the poll.
“It’s clear that Weiser’s people-powered, Colorado-focused campaign is striking a chord over Bennet’s billionaire-backed, D.C.-driven effort,” Curtis Hubbard, a spokesman for Fighting for Colorado, said in a statement.
Hubbard also criticized outside spending supporting Bennet, saying “Mike Bloomberg spending nearly $5 million to support Bennet and the Senator’s still having to ‘loan’ his campaign $1 million at the last minute are signs of a flailing effort that is not connecting with voters.”
The expenditures have been widely publicized in Colorado media.
Hubbard also pointed to changes in candidates favorability ratings. Poll analysis said Weiser’s favorability improved to 49% favorable and 16% unfavorable, while Bennet’s favorability stood at 48% favorable and 32% unfavorable.
“The dynamics of this race always suggested that Bennet was well-known to Colorado voters, having served 17 years in the U.S. Senate, while Weiser was lesser-known but well-liked by those who knew him,” Hubbard said. “It takes 50 percent plus one to win, but in the closing days of the campaign, Weiser’s ceiling is higher than that of the incumbent Senator.”
Colorado’s Democratic gubernatorial primary is scheduled for June 30.
Either of these idiots would be terrible for Colorado. We don’t need more tax and spend liberal politics in Colorado. Thankfully, TABOR protects us a lot of the Californication that continues to destroy our state. Phil Weiser and Carl Spackler (oops, I mean Michael Bennett) are the worst possible choices for governor. Vote Conservative!