Poll shows Democrats losing ground with Colorado voters
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The Democratic Party's favorability has tanked since last November among Centennial State voters, according to a new bipartisan survey from the Colorado Polling Institute.
Why it matters: Democrats nationwide are facing a surge of angry voters and record-low favorability — which could upend the party's chances in the 2026 primaries.
By the numbers: Dems' favorability among Colorado voters fell to 39% in March from 52% last November, while unfavorability jumped to 56% from 45%.
- The fine print: The online survey polled 615 likely 2026 voters from March 27–31, with a margin of error of ±3.95%.
What they're saying: "That's a pretty incredible reversal, and it's driven almost entirely by [Kamala] Harris voters, including both Democrats and unaffiliated who supported Harris," Kevin Ingham of Democratic firm Aspect Strategic, who helped conduct the survey, said during a press call Thursday.
- "Democrats are having a bit of a unique moment right now within their own base of distrust and dissatisfaction with their response to the Trump administration," he added. Voters think if the party "just tried harder, Democrats could limit [Trump's] agenda."
The other side: GOP favorability among Colorado voters improved slightly to 39% in March from 37% in November, thanks to more support from Trump voters — though a majority (56%) still view the party unfavorably.
- 87% of registered Colorado Republicans viewed Trump favorably at the end of March — but 61% rated the economy as fair or poor.
The intrigue: Despite the drop in the Democratic Party's favorability, voter approval of local leaders — including Gov. Jared Polis and U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper — is up.
- Voters tend to differentiate between their feelings toward the national Democratic Party and their opinions of specific Democratic elected officials, particularly at the state and local levels, Ingham explained.
State of play: The poll also measured reaction to Trump administration policies:
- Tariffs: 59% say they'll hurt Colorado; 32% say they'll help.
- Federal employee firings: 60% say the impact will be negative; 33% say positive.
- Deportations: 53% say it's gone "too far" — including 85% of Dems and 57% of independents. Most Republicans say it's about right or hasn't gone far enough.
The big picture: "This is just another indication of how nearly all policies at the federal level are being viewed through very different lenses depending on partisan affiliation," Republican pollster Lori Weigel, who helped conduct the survey, said in a statement.
The bottom line: The Trump-era culture wars are still polarizing Colorado — and Democrats will need to rally fast, or risk ceding ground they've long considered safe.