A new poll from the University of Denver shows President Barack Obama with a slight edge over Mitt Romney in Colorado, but most voters in the swing state agree Romney won the first presidential debate.
Obama held onto his small lead among likely voters in Colorado with 47 percent of the vote after the first debate. But Romney is just four points behind with 43 percent. Five percent said they are still undecided and another four percent said they are voting for someone else.
The good news for the former Massachusetts governor is that his strong showing in last week’s debate gave him a better reputation in the swing state. 68 percent of people who watched the debate or at least heard about it said Romney won. Only 19 percent considered Obama the winner.
Almost half of the president’s supporters in Colorado admitted Romney outperformed Obama during the debate, and 38 percent of likely voters now have a more positive perception of Romney compared to the 18 percent who felt more positively about Obama. Only 37 percent of Obama’s supporters actually believed Obama outdid Romney.
“Two important lessons from the polls are, first, there are very few undecided voters left in Colorado, and second, Gov. Romney has improved his position to win them over in the closing days of the race,” said University of Denver political scientist Dr. Peter Hanson in a statement.
“President Obama is maintaining a narrow lead in the state, but the major question is how much movement we can expect in the polls in coming weeks with not many voters left for the candidates to persuade.”
According to Nielsen ratings, 67.2 million Americans tuned in to last week’s debate. Most voters did not actually change their opinions after watching the debate. For the most part, the debate only strengthened voters’ beliefs.
Sixty-nine percent of viewers are now more dedicated to their presidential candidate and only seven percent are now less sure about their choice. Five percent of viewers actually changed their mind after the debate.