CNN-Time Poll: CO Senate--Buck (R) 47% Bennet (D) 46%; Hickenlooper leads by 14

[WI_DEM]

CNN) – Less than a week before Election Day, Colorado's heated Senate race remains a virtual dead heat, according to a new poll.

Democrats, however, may be pulling away in the race for governor - a contest in which Republicans once had high hopes.

Full results (pdf)

Forty-seven percent of likely voters in the latest CNN/Time/Opinion Research Corporation survey now back Republican Senate nominee Ken Buck while 46 percent support incumbent Democrat Michael Bennet.

Seven percent are either backing someone else or offered no opinion.

Buck's one-point edge is well within the poll's sampling error.

One defining feature of the Senate race: the gender gap. Buck now leads Bennet by 12 points - 51 to 39 percent - among men, while Bennet holds a 12-point advantage - 54 to 42 percent - among women.

Also of note: the geographic divide.

"As frequently happens in Colorado politics, the race for the Senate will be decided in the Denver suburbs," said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland.

"Bennet has a two-to-one lead in Denver and Boulder counties, with Buck holding a sizeable lead in Eastern and Western Colorado and along the northern and southern parts of the Front Range.

But in the four-county area immediately surrounding Denver, the race is essentially tied, with Bennet holding an edge in older suburbs and Buck piling up big margins in exurban communities."

Bennet appears to be picking up ground; he trailed Buck by five points among likely voters in a September 17-21 CNN/Time/ORC poll.

While the candidates are virtually tied among likely voters, Bennet leads by five points, 49 to 44 percent, among the larger pool of registered voters.

In the race for governor, 51 percent of likely voters now support Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, the Democratic nominee. Thirty-seven percent support former congressman and 2008 GOP presidential candidate Tom Tancredo, who is running as the American Constitution Party's candidate.

Only 10 percent now back Republican nominee Dan Maes, who has been backed a number of Tea Party activists but struggled in the wake of a series of crippling campaign controversies.
National Republicans appear to have washed their hands of the race.
The CNN/Time/Opinion Research Corporation poll was conducted October 20-26, with 1,356 registered voters in Colorado, including 829 likely voters questioned by telephone. The survey's sampling error is plus or minus 2.5 percentage points for registered voters and 3.5 percentage points for likely voters.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/10/27/cnntime-poll-colorado-senate-seat-still-up-for-grabs/

[catgirl]

1. Time for a Hickenlooper/Bennet rally

Hickenlooper is far ahead... Let him share his coattails to pull Bennet over the finish line.

[AtomicKitten]

4. *

:thumbsup:

[otohara]

5. Yesterday on Hardball

Chris Matthews yammered on about Bennet and how like able he is, all of his peers speak very highly of him, fair minded, good guy, like by all.
Back here - he's the unknown Senator. Everyone knows John Hickenlooper - who is all those things Matthews says about Bennet.

Because Bennet has gone out of his way to distance himself from liberals and never misses a chance to include "liberal activists" as extreme. Just like Joe Miller saying this insanity we're witnessing is coming from both parties.

I will be holding my nose when I vote for Bennet.

There needs to be a Obama/Hick/Bennet rally - why POTUS isn't coming to CO is a mystery, unless they've already written Bennet off.

[kentuck]

6. That's what doesn't make sense with this poll??

Hickenlooper is up by 14 on Tancredo, the American Constitutional Party. The Republican, Dan Maes, is getting less than 10% of the vote. Hickenlooper's supporters will mostly vote for Bennett also. This is good for the Democrats and I think Bennett will defeat Buck.

Also, most of the Democratic votes come out of Denver and Boulder and the majority of Repub votes from Colorado Springs and rural areas.

[WI_DEM]

2. It comes down to turnout among reg voters Bennet is leading by 5

[sharp_stick]

3. I'm sure happy to see Hickenlooper

may be able to pull this one out. I was having a hard time believing that people in Colorado, outside of the nutjobs around the Focus on the Family compounds that is, would actually be willing to elect that skidmark Tom Tancredo to the job.

Now lets hope that Bennet can claim the Senate seat.

[kentuck]

7. A lot of moderate Repubs in CO will sit out on Tancredo...

Another reason I think Bennett will win.