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If the election for governor was being held today, the vote could be so close that the tallying might extend into the next morning. Just two months after enjoying a strong 11 percent lead over Republican Scott McInnis, Democrat John Hickenlooper is now tied with his main opponent. That’s according to Democratic polling firm Public Policy Polling in a survey of 1,060 Colorado voters, which is cited by The Denver Post. The former Congressman McInnis and Denver Mayor Hickenlooper each received 44 percent of support in the poll, which was conducted from May 14 to 16.
One thing helping Hickenlooper is that he’s more popular than his opponent. Forty-seven percent of respondents hold a favorable opinion of Hick and just 33 percent view him unfavorably, according to The Colorado Independent. That compares to 31 percent and 30 percent for McInnis in the same categories. Public Policy notes the reason why Hick is struggling.
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“It’s not hard to pinpoint where voter perceptions of Hickenlooper are changing,” PPP writes (via Politics Daily). “Hickenlooper’s run for statewide office as a Democrat seems to be costing him some of his crossover popularity with Republicans and conservative-leaning independents.”
McInnis hopes to lock down his party’s nomination this weekend as Republicans head to Loveland for the state party convention, where delegates will nominate candidates for an array of offices, including governor, reports The Denver Post.