Colorado voters sour on Democratic leaders
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Colorado voters are increasingly pessimistic about the state's Democratic leaders, a new poll shows.
Why it matters: The attitude shift among likely voters comes ahead of the 2026 election and offers insight into June's primary contests.
State of play: The top three Democrats in Colorado — Gov. Jared Polis and U.S. Sens. John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet — all saw their favorability decrease since November, according to numbers released Wednesday by the bipartisan Colorado Polling Institute.
- Polis is viewed unfavorably by 48% of likely voters, compared to 44% favorable, a four-point negative shift from the previous survey.
- Hickenlooper, who is seeking reelection and faces a progressive challenger, saw his image erode five points with voters now split at 43%.
- Bennet, who is running for governor, saw his image decline 4-points with his favorability now at 40% compared to 39% unfavorable.
What they're saying: "We've seen Democrats become quite frustrated with incumbent legislators and executives across the state and across the country," said Democratic pollster Kevin Ingham at Aspect Strategic.
Caveat: The poll, conducted March 20-25, has a plus-or-minus 3.96 percentage points margin of error.
The intrigue: The numbers offer a key look into select Democratic primary races, where independent, public polling is scant.
- Bennet's opponent in the governor's race, Attorney General Phil Weiser, is less well-known, but his image is currently positive, with 26% of likely voters seeing him favorably and 23% viewing him unfavorably. 51% are unfamiliar with Wesier.
- Jena Griswold, the secretary of state and leading candidate in the attorney general's race, saw her image shift from plus-seven to negative-four since March 2025. 33% now consider her unfavorable versus 29% favorable.
The fine print: The impressions of other candidates in the Democratic or Republican primaries were not polled in the survey.
The bottom line: Democrats are searching for a "fighter" who will aggressively challenge Republicans, Ingham said.
- "They are … looking for people who are going to take a sharper edge and a more non-traditional approach to governance and standing up to the Trump administration," he adds.