CU survey: Polis up 12 points over Stapleton

A new survey conducted by political scientists with the University of Colorado Boulder has good news for Democrats in the state’s gubernatorial race.

The Colorado Political Climate Survey found that about 54 percent of voters said they preferred Democratic candidate Jared Polis compared to 42 percent for Republican Walker Stapleton.

That sentiment is also reflected in voters’ opinions on congressional races; the survey’s “generic congressional ballot” question found a nine-point lead for Democrats.

In addition to weighing in on individual candidates, the survey asked voters for their opinions on several amendments on the ballot. CU found four measures that look “likely to pass,” according to the survey:

Amendment Y, which would create a 12-member commission responsible for approving district maps for Colorado’s congressional districts; Amendment 73, which would establish a tax bracket system vs. a flat tax rate and raise taxes for people earning more than $150,000 per year, raise the corporate income tax rate and create the Quality Public Education Fund; Amendment 74, which would require property owners be compensated for any reduction in property value caused by state laws or regulations; and Proposition 111, which would reduce the annual interest rate on payday loans to a yearly rate of 36 percent and eliminate all other finance charges and fees associated with payday lending.

Proposition 112, which would limit new oil and gas developments to being at least 2,500 feet away from occupied buildings, is still too close to call but is largely split along partisan lines. The survey found that 52 percent of voters say they support the measure — 73 percent of Democratic voters support it, compared to 25 percent of Republican voters — to 48 percent saying they’ll vote against it.

The political research lab asked voters’ opinions of President Donald Trump and found them similar to national trends. The university says Trump’s approval in the state is about 40 percent; his popularity among Republicans is at about 89 percent, but only three percent of Democratic voters approved of the president.

The survey included a sample size of 800 individual responses from registered voters and has an overall margin of error of “plus or minus 3.5 percent,” according to CU.

CU says an extended report with additional political surveys will be released later this year.