Democrats hold double-digit leads in Colorado Senate, governor races: poll

Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) are on track to win their reelection bids in November, with each man holding a double-digit lead over his Republican challenger, according to a new Emerson College Polling/The Hill survey released Thursday.

The poll shows Bennet with a 10-point edge over Republican Senate nominee Joe O’Dea. Bennet takes 46 percent support to O’Dea’s 36 percent.

Polis, meanwhile, is performing even better in his matchup against Republican Heidi Ganahl. Fifty-three percent of respondents say they support Polis compared to 36 percent who back Ganahl – a staggering 17-point lead for the Democratic incumbent.

The poll suggests that Colorado voters are poised to reelect two of their top Democrats, even as Washington Republicans argue that Bennet’s Senate seat could still come into play.

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), the chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), told reporters on Tuesday that O’Dea is “barely behind” Bennet in the polls and has a real chance of ousting Colorado’s senior senator this year.

That Bennet and Polis appear well-positioned ahead of the November midterm elections isn’t unusual. Colorado has shifted heavily toward Democrats in recent years, and it was less than two years ago that voters in the state ousted now-former Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) in favor of Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), the former Colorado governor.

But despite the state’s Democratic tilt, attitudes toward President Biden are split. Forty-four percent of respondents say they approve of his job performance, while just as many disapprove, according to the Emerson College Polling/The Hill survey.

Nevertheless, Biden would still be favored to win the state in 2024 if he faces a rematch with former President Donald Trump. In a hypothetical contest between the two, 46 percent say they would support Biden for a second term, while 36 percent would back Trump. Another 14 percent say they would vote for someone else.

Of course, there are still some challenges for Democrats. The economy is outpacing abortion access as the most important issue among voters, 36 percent to 22 percent. And O’Dea and Ganahl outperform Bennet and Polis among voters who pointed to the economy as their top concern.

Bennet and Polis, meanwhile, get higher marks among those who say abortion is the most important issue, the poll found.

The Emerson College Polling/The Hill survey consisted of 1,000 very likely voters in Colorado from Sept. 18-19. It has a credibility interval — similar to a poll’s margin of error — of +/-3 percentage points.