1 in 3 Colorado unaffiliated voters say both parties are out of touch
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Colorado's growing bloc of unaffiliated voters feels increasingly fed up with both major political parties, per a bipartisan Colorado Polling Institute survey released Wednesday.
Why it matters: Independents have hit a record high, with 49.6% of registered voters identifying as unaffiliated in Colorado. Their disenchantment with Democrats and Republicans highlights a growing political divide and signals challenges for future candidates hoping to win them over.
By the numbers: A third of Colorado's unaffiliated voters "strongly disagree" that there's usually at least one option for each political office that represents their views, the poll found.
- That sentiment is even stronger among younger unaffiliated voters ages 18-44, at 41%.
- Across all age groups, 58% of unaffiliated voters think the Democratic Party is out of touch compared to 70% who feel the same about Republicans.
Threat level: "Unaffiliated voters have chosen not to identify with either party for a reason," Republican pollster Lori Weigel, who helped conduct the survey, said in a statement.
- "Those seeking to appeal to this segment of the electorate that decides the fate of most campaigns would be well-served to address their concerns," Weigel added.
- Those concerns include health care, immigration and housing.
The big picture: A majority of Colorado's unaffiliated voters (55%) backed Democratic Vice President Harris in the presidential election, according to CPI's survey.
The intrigue: The state's independent voters align closer with the GOP when it comes to concerns about finding unbiased political information.
- 70% strongly disagree with the statement that it's easy to find unbiased information compared to 74% of Republicans and 42% of Democrats.
The other side: Despite dissatisfaction with both parties, the majority of unaffiliated voters are optimistic about Colorado's trajectory.
- 51% say the state is headed in the right direction, and 36% believe Colorado's best days are ahead, per the poll.
The fine print: The margin of error on the poll, conducted by Democratic and Republican consulting firms, is plus-or-minus 3.4 percentage points.
- The poll surveyed 822 likely voters from Oct. 25 to Nov. 4.