Bennett holds lead for Dem primary for Jared's seat - Denver Post
Thomas Clayton
Senator has majority support among likely primary voters while AG Phil Weiser suffers from lack of name ID
More than 50% of likely Democratic primary voters in Colorado support U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet’s bid to succeed Gov. Jared Polis, according to a poll released Monday.
The poll confirms Bennet as a clear front-runner in the Democratic primary for governor, with 53% of likely voters in that contest supporting his candidacy. His support both cracks the critical majority threshold and is double the number of undecided voters, 25%, for next summer’s primary election.
The general election is in November 2026. Polis is term-limited from seeking reelection.
Attorney General Phil Weiser, the only other big-name Democrat in the race, has support from 22% of likely voters, according to the poll.
The poll was conducted by Global Strategy Group, a well-respected firm with a track record of accuracy in Colorado elections. The results are based on a survey of 600 likely Democratic primary voters and it has a margin of error of plus-or-minus 4%. The poll was conducted on behalf of Bennet’s campaign.
A memo outlining the candidate’s favorable ratings and overall support was provided to The Denver Post.
“While voters like both Senator Bennet and A.G. Weiser, this is not a close race at the moment,” Andrew Baumann, a partner at Global Strategy Group, said in a statement. “Bennet has stronger standing and converts more of his name ID into votes, which is why he is above 50% and leads by a better than 2-to-1 margin.”
Weiser, while well-liked among Democratic voters, is far less well-known than the three-term U.S. senator. Just under half, 48%, said they were unfamiliar with Weiser. Only 13% said they were unfamiliar with Bennet.
Otherwise, many more voters reported favorable feelings than unfavorable feelings about both men. Bennet received 74% favorable to 13% unfavorable, while Weiser received 45% to 7%.
The poll also showed Bennet received majority support from likely Democratic voters 55 and older (64%), Hispanic Democratic voters (63%) and registered Democrats (55%).
“This poll confirms what we’ve been hearing from voters across Colorado: Michael Bennet is the right leader for this moment, and he’s building a broad, winning coalition to prove it,” Ben Waldon, Bennet’s campaign manager, said in a statement. “Coloradans know what’s at stake, and they’re getting behind Michael because he delivers results and brings people together. We’ll keep showing up in every corner of the state to earn every vote.”
The poll only surveyed Bennet versus Weiser in the Democratic primary.
Colorado hasn’t elected a Republican as governor since Gov. Bill Owens in 2002. State Rep. Scott Bottoms, of Colorado Springs, Sen. Mark Baisley, of Woodland Park, former U.S. Rep. Greg Lopez and Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell have declared for the GOP nomination.
Bennet officially jumped into the race in April and immediately upended it. Last week, he announced more than 130 endorsements from prominent Coloradans across the state, including a handful who had initially endorsed Weiser.
Global Strategy Group also polled favorability and vote choice for attorney general on behalf of Secretary of State Jena Griswold’s campaign.
It showed Griswold leading the field with likely voters, with 42% support, over other Democratic candidates, though just as many said they were undecided. Michael Dougherty, the Boulder County district attorney, had the next largest share of voters at 8%, according to the poll.
 | Tom Clayton Communication and Media Specialist, Public Affairs |
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