Wacky polling data in the past week (as close as one point and as big as eleven) in the wacky gubernatorial battle in Colorado–with Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper coasting in the Denver Post/9NEWS poll by ten points:
Democratic gubernatorial candidate John Hickenlooper has a wide lead over his opponents going into the last days of the election, despite third-party candidate Tom Tancredo’s ability to siphon votes from the Republican nominee, according to a Denver Post/9News poll.
With 49 percent of those surveyed backing him, Hickenlooper now has more support than Tancredo and Republican candidate Dan Maes combined.
Tancredo, a former Republican congressman, continues to peel off GOP voters, garnering 39 percent, while Maes continues to slide, coming in at 9 percent. Only 1 percent of those polled said they were undecided.
“It’s hard to see how Tancredo changes this game. Even if Maes drops to 5 percent, it isn’t enough,” said Denver pollster Floyd Ciruli. “Hickenlooper has had the benefit of not having to deal with just one Republican opponent and has kept a low profile, eliminating the chances of making mistakes and starting controversies.”
According to the Post, Hickenlooper holds a commanding lead among partisan supporters, female voters (by 25 percent), and both in Denver and across the state. Tancredo, meanwhile, is making great inroads among Republican voters and independents. Maes remains a non-entity individually, but even his small following could prove decisive in preventing Tancredo from overtaking Hickenlooper in the final days of the race.
The poll was conducted, however, before Hickenlooper’s “backwards thinking” comments were revealed on Friday at Battle ‘10 and drew national attention. Hickenlooper has launched a five-day bus tour of the state in the final week of the campaign.