The prelude to the 2008 election included months of speculation about how then candidate Obama might redraw the political map–and whether that rehash of the political fault lines would be permanent or temporary. Colorado was very much part of that discussion: a state with changing demographics that has elected both Democrats and Republicans to statewide positions in the past decade.
A new poll from Public Policy Polling (D) shows President Obama hasn’t exactly endeared himself to the voters in Colorado, as his approval rating is at 46% against 50% disapproval. But the new survey really exposes a major indicator in the 2012 process: despite being at a low point in the current national polls, the GOP field is so weak that no Republican candidate even gets within the margin of error against the President in the Rocky Mountain state.
The poll shows that the closest GOP challenger to Obama in a Colorado matchup, former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney, still only pulls Obama down to 48% against Romney’s 41%. The rest of the challengers don’t even crack the 40% mark. The President outpaces Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) 51 – 39, businessman Herman Cain 51 – 35, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin 54 – 38, and nearly announced candidate Tex. Gov. Rick Perry 51 – 38.
The GOP candidates’ scores seem to be damaged by low favorability ratings in the poll. “While the president has gotten less popular, so has Romney, and by a similar amount,” wrote PPP Pollster Tom Jensen. “Six months ago, voters were split on Romney personally, 40% favorable and 40% unfavorable. That has now slipped to 30-51. Thus, Obama’s advantage over Romney has not faltered. He led 47-41 half a year ago, and 48-41 now.”
The PPP survey was conducted from August 4th to the 7th and utilized 510 automated telephone interviews with registered Colorado voters. It has an margin of error of plus or minus 4.3 percent.
