Colorado’s top elected Democrats are all underwater with Colorado voters a little over a year out from big 2026 elections, according to a new poll released Monday.
U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper each notched approval ratings below 40% in the poll, with their disapproval ratings reaching 44% and 49%, respectively. Gov. Jared Polis’ approval was slightly better, at 41% — though that came with the caveat that a majority of voters, 52%, outright disapproved of the term-limited governor, according to the survey by Broomfield-based Magellan Strategies.
The rotten marks for the politicians fall within Colorado voters’ general malaise for politics. Both the Republican and Democratic parties had identical top-line favorabilities — of 68% negative versus 30% positive — albeit with different undercurrents driving the disdain for either.
And a majority of Colorado voters in the survey thought the state was on the wrong track. A majority predicted the state and national economies would take downward turns in the next 12 months.
Though Polis won’t be on next year’s ballot, Bennet is running to succeed him as governor and Hickenlooper is up for reelection. The poll did not ask respondents about Bennet’s leading Democratic primary opponent, Attorney General Phil Weiser.
The results show Coloradans in a bleak state of mind — but not necessarily looking to shed the state’s recent blue streak.
“Although Colorado remains a blue state, the well-documented decline in the national Democratic Party’s image rating and brand is real and apparent among Colorado voters,” David Flaherty, CEO of Magellan, said in an email.
“However,” he added, “it does not mean (President Donald) Trump and the Republicans are winning over hearts and minds. If they were, the wide range of Trump policies we tested would be getting better job approval ratings.”
The poll was conducted July 30 through Aug. 12 using text-message outreach. Pollsters surveyed 1,136 registered voters, and the data has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points. Magellan, a conservative-leaning firm that often conducts polling for clients, paid for the poll itself.
Democrats still well-positioned for 2026
By more than 2-to-1 margins, Colorado voters surveyed didn’t feel good about the Democratic Party — and the disdain was shared by many Democratic voters.
Among those who voted for Kamala Harris for president last year, 47% reported unfavorable opinions of the party. Of registered Democrats, 41% reported unfavorable opinions toward their party.
As an anonymous Democratic woman in Arapahoe County characterized it in her survey response, the party has “no backbone, no follow-through, poor (or no) response to both mundane and gripping issues.”
The Democrats’ hole only deepened among unaffiliated voters, the largest voting bloc in the state. Seventy percent of those voters expressed an unfavorable opinion of the party.
The only silver lining for Democrats? Unaffiliated voters feel the same about the GOP.
The poll found voters’ problems with Democrats were reflected on some of the top officials in the state. Democrats hold every statewide office in Colorado and control both chambers of the state legislature.
Polis, who’s entering his final year as governor due to term limits, was 11 points underwater in voter approval in the poll. That includes disapproval of his job performance by 24% of registered Democrats and Harris voters, and by half of unaffiliated voters.
Bennet and Hickenlooper find themselves in similar positions.
Bennet had 44% disapproval to 38% approval. Among Democrats and Harris voters, his approval jumped to 61% and 62%, respectively, though he was also underwater with unaffiliated voters at 39% approval and 45% disapproval.
However, the poor showing for Democrats doesn’t seem to put a terrible damper on their prospects heading into the next general election in 2026.
When asked how they’d vote If the election were held today, 50% of respondents said they would probably or definitely support the Democratic nominee for governor, versus 38% who’d support the Republican.
If congressional elections were held today, voters also gave Democrats a clear advantage in four of the state’s eight congressional districts — the ones currently represented by Democrats. The smaller sample size at the district level, however, came with larger margins of error of more than 8 percentage points.
The party also held a smaller edge for a fifth seat, according to the poll — and a surprising one at that.
The poll found 47% of voters in the typically red 5th Congressional District in El Paso County would probably support the Democratic nominee there, versus 39% for the Republican nominee. In 2024, Republican Rep. Jeff Crank won the seat with nearly 55% of the vote.
In two other Republican seats — the contentious 8th Congressional District, held by Rep. Gabe Evans, and the 3rd Congressional District, held by Rep. Jeff Hurd — the poll results show the eventual GOP nominees with 5-point advantages, though the party doesn’t crack 50% support in either case. The 4th Congressional District, now represented by Rep. Lauren Boebert, looks to remain as ruby red as ever, with voters there leaning Republican by 20 points.
“With the Democratic brand in the dumpster nationally, and three out of four voters disapproving of the Democrats in Washington, it will likely be easier for Congressional Republicans like Gabe Evans to win re-election,” Flaherty wrote, referring to overall approval ratings of congressional Democrats.
“Now, November 2026 is a long way off, and things could change,” he said, “but the Democrats should not waste a lot of time crafting their agenda and priorities for the American people.”
Trump, tariffs and the ‘big, beautiful bill’
Colorado voters, who rejected Trump in three presidential elections in a row, continue to disapprove of the Republican. Overall, 41% of voters approved of the job he’s doing, compared to 56% who strongly disapproved, according to the poll.
Their disapproval also extends to three cornerstones of his second term in office so far: 56% of voters in the survey held very unfavorable views of the tax and spending bill known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” with total unfavorability reaching 63%; 57% opposed Trump’s tariffs, while 80% said they would make the price of goods more expensive; and 51% strongly disapproved of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, with total disapproval reaching 57%.
In all cases, the margins widen when only unaffiliated voters are accounted for. Within that group of voters, 68% disliked the spending bill, 62% opposed Trump’s tariffs and 60% disapproved of the job ICE was doing.
Unlike Democrats, where even the base has softened its support, Colorado Republicans and Trump voters still back their guy.
On the spending bill, 79% of Trump voters and 84% of Republicans had a favorable view, while 90% and 91% supported Trump’s tariffs and ICE, respectively.
Republicans also held their party in higher regard than Democrats did theirs, with 87% having favorable views of the GOP.
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