With less than a week to go in Colorado’s hard-fought, to-the-wire gubernatorial election, the latest Quinnipiac University poll has Republican challenger Bob Beauprez 5 points ahead of Democratic incumbent John Hickenlooper.
But as the Denver Post pointed out, Quinnipiac has been all over the map on the governor’s race. A September poll had Beauprez ahead by a whopping 10 points but a month later, showed Hickenlooper in the lead by 1 point.
Most other polls show a tight contest, giving either candidate the lead by a point or two. Real Clear Politics calls it a “nail-biter, with Hickenlooper having a bit of an edge.”
The new Quinnipiac poll shows the candidates with a wide gender gap, with men backing Beauprez by 54-33 percent. That swamps Hickenlooper’s 47-37 percent lead among women.
“The gender battle leans Republican Bob Beauprez’s way as a surge of support from men eclipses Gov. Hickenlooper’s once commanding lead with women,” said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University poll, in a press release.
Hickenlooper’s favorability also took a swing in the new poll, showing him breaking even, 46-46 percent, among those who view him favorably or unfavorably. A month ago, he was above water, with 51 percent having a favorable opinion of him compared to 42 percent who don’t.
The Denver Post speculates that may be thanks to a series of ads run by Beauprez depicting Hickenlooper as so soft on crime that he threatens the safety of Colorado families. The spots mention prisoners who were released despite making threats to bomb schools or commit rape. But they fail to mention the prisoners had served their time and Hickenlooper has no power to continue locking them up.
“Are Coloradans likely to seriously entertain the idea that a vote for Hickenlooper could usher them into the twilight horror of a John Carpenter movie?” asked the Denver Post editorial board in an op-ed titled “Beauprez dives into gutter with new ad.”
“We’re betting on their mature good sense — and that the answer is no.”
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