POLL: Tom Tancredo Leads GOP Primary Field, Greg Brophy Even With Hickenlooper

POLL: Tancredo Leads GOP Primary Field, Brophy Even With Hickenlooper

December 6, 2013
By Observer Staff

http://thecoloradoobserver.com/wp-co...and-brophy.png A new survey contains good news for GOP gubernatorial candidates Tom Tancredo and Greg Brophy

DENVER – A survey released by left-leaning Public Policy Polling (PPP) shows former U.S. Rep Tom Tancredo with a comfortable lead in the race for the GOP gubernatorial nomination, and another Republican, state Senator Greg Brophy of Wray, in a statistical dead heat with Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper.

The poll is the latest in a series of surveys that show public opinion souring on the once popular governor, who has appeared vulnerable to his GOP challengers in recent months.

When asked their preference in the crowded GOP gubernatorial field, Republican primary voters preferred Tancredo – a former Congressman and 2010 independent candidate for governor – by a wide margin.

Tancredo received the support of 34 percent of the Republicans polled — nearly 20 points ahead of his nearest rival, Secretary of State Scott Gessler, who received 15 percent. Brophy was next with 9 percent. No other GOP candidate for governor received more than 3 percent in the survey.

The GOP gubernatorial field also includes former state lawmaker Mike Kopp and political neophytes Steve House and Jim Rundberg.

Tancredo had the highest “favorable” rating among the GOP field (31 percent), followed by Gessler (15 percent) then Brophy (9 percent) and Kopp (6 percent). Tancredo’s “unfavorable” rating was also highest (42 percent), followed by Gessler (24 percent), then Kopp (13 percent) and Brophy (12 percent).

In hypothetical head-to-head matchups of each GOP contender against Hickenlooper, Brophy fared best in the PPP survey, trailing Hickenlooper by a single percentage point (44 percent to 43 percent).

Hickenlooper led Gessler (47-40) and Tancredo (48-40) by nearly identical margins.

The poll also showed 48 percent of Coloradans registering disapproval of Hickenlooper’s job as governor, compared to 45 percent who said they approved. That represents a decline in Hickenlooper’s support since PPP’s last survey.

According to a PPP press release, the poll surveyed “928 Colorado voters, including 355 usual Republican primary voters” and was conducted using automated telephone interviews between December 3 and December 4. The margin of error was listed as +/- 5.2 for the GOP sample, and +/- 3.2 for the overall survey.

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