A poll commissioned by non-partisan public policy organization Healthier Colorado released on Tuesday has Democrat Jared Polis leading Republican Walker Stapleton by 7 points in the state’s gubernatorial race.
The results show 47 percent of respondents support Polis, compared to 4o percent for Stapleton. Eleven percent of respondents said they are undecided. The non-profit organization focusing on health and public policy hired Keating Research and Magellan Strategies, two-well Colorado-based pollsters, to conduct the poll.
The poll is the first major snapshot of the governor’s race since the post-primary poll released in June by Colorado Democrats. That poll showed Polis ahead by 8 points.
According to a release from Healthier Colorado, the data for the poll results released Tuesday is based on responses from 600 likely 2018 voters. The likely voters were interviewed over the phone from Sept. 18 to Sept. 20. A further breakdown from the polling firms shows 60 percent of the interviews were done on cellphones while 40 percent were completed over land lines.
The results show Stapleton has a lead among men over Polis, leading 47 to 42 percent. Conversely, Polis has a big lead with women over Stapleton, leading 52-35 percent. Another major find: Polis has an edge among unaffiliated voters, with 46 percent choosing him over Stapleton, who got 28 percent of support.
The survey has a margin of error of 4 points. The poll showed strong support for the policies supported by Healthier Colorado, including the red flag law, increasing the purchase age of tobacco to 21 and supporting the Colorado Attorney General's lawsuit against prescription opioid manufacturer company.
“While voters debate the outcome of Colorado’s gubernatorial race, there is no debate that a strong majority of Colorado voters — regardless of their party affiliation — support the key health policies tested in this poll,” David Flaherty, CEO of the Republican-leaning Magellan Strategies, said in the release.
Healthier Colorado executive director Jake Williams said in the release the results showed voters in Colorado are "uniquely united" when it comes to health issues, despite the division seen in politics today.
“No matter who wins the race for governor or which party controls the Colorado House or Senate, Colorado voters of all political stripes clearly agree that we should make progress on health policy," Williams said in the release.
