The liberal Public Policy Polling’s most recent statewide poll uncovered an amazing bit of information – Democratic Governor John Hickenlooper’s favorability has taken a huge hit over the past five months. Since November, Hick’s disapprovals have gone from 26% to 44%. At the same time, his approvals numbers have taken a 2% hit, representing a stunning 20 point drop in favorability.
These numbers are revealing in that they show Hick is increasingly unsuccessful at hugging the middle of the road. The numbers also reveal how the Colorado House and Senate Democrats’ radical left wing agenda has damaged his moderate cred. Of course, the fact that Hickenlooper has seconded his leadership role and responsibilities to East Coast politicians doesn’t help. This was particularly true during the Dems’ gun grab this session, which they’ve admitted has nothing to do with actually preventing violence.
The gun grab had everything to do with the agendas of President Obama, Vice President Biden, who personally lobbied Democratic members of Colorado’s legislature, and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who funds the whole outfit with Mayors Against Illegal Guns. Colorado elected a governor to lead Colorado. It’s worse than poor leadership, it’s almost as if he’s betrayed his position by not sticking up for Colorado under the pressure from East Coast liberals.
In the end, PPP’s analysis of the head to head doesn’t matter at this point because no one is paying attention to Republicans who might run. What does matter is that Hick’s seriously softening numbers will almost surely earn him a serious challenger.
UPDATE: An astute reader accurately pointed out that Hickenlooper barely cracks 50% against any of the Republicans that they matched him against. That’s pretty bad news for the world’s allegedly most likeable governor. Nobody’s even attacked him yet – wait until the hits start.
UPDATE 2: Do you think maybe next time Governor Hickenlooper will take that meeting with the Sheriffs and Magpul?
UPDATE 3: It is time to end the most popular governor meme once and for all. Most commentators have a tendency to forget Hickenlooper only managed to get 51% of the vote even in the midst of GOP chaos in 2010. After 2 plus years of lovey-dovey press, Hick is frozen…51%. Hickenlooper has never had a barrage of negative TV ads run against him since becoming governor. Not a single time. And still, 51%. Liberal bloggers can cheer that all they want. We’d guess that the inner circle of President Hickenlooper is not.
Update 4: One would think that Hickenlooper’s hard line pro-industry stance on fracking might have cost him with liberals, and that might be part of what is at work here. It hasn’t and it isn’t, at least so this poll says. Hickenlooper has a 94% approval rating with voters self-described as “very liberal.” The vast majority of Hickenlooper’s favorability downturn is due to a loss of support with independents and moderate Republicans. Quick, someone get Magpul on the line.
Update 5: The first mainstream coverage of the poll via KDVR‘s Eli Stokols glosses over the gutting of Hickenlooper’s approval rating. Hick’s numbers took a 20 point nose dive, but other than that he is killing it. Say, how was the play Mrs. Lincoln?
Do you guys know how elections work? PPP by the way was the most accurate with the 2012 election guys… The extreme GOP is dead, and good riddance.
Actually Dan, Tancredo got more than 30% of the vote in 2010, while the GOP candidate got a whopping 9%. What killed Tancredo was the hispanic vote, which almost all went to Dickenlooper.
oh! go get on your left wing site and spew all your hatred there. Also you might want to lay off the pot before you post.
Yes, liberals want government to tell you who can marry, and what you can do with your body-right? What freedom is it that conservatives feel they lack? Please tell me that you consider freedom to be something more than not paying taxes and carrying a big gun. See if you can godeeper than that.
Since I am a non-Coloradoan, perhaps you can refresh my memory. Did moderate Colorado vote for moderate Romney or McCain, or did they vote for heavy-duty leftist Obama and Obama?
Shall not be infringed,Period
Patrick is the delusional one. We know liberals are anit-freedom!
I won't forget and know of plenty of others that also will not. It won't take much to remind the people of Colorado that hickenbloomsbiatch sold us out.
hickenbloomsbiatch
You are delusional if you actually think that Liberal are anti-freedom.
Bonnie – A "stong" Conservative will loose in Colorado. CO is a moderate state. When will the GOP realize that "Stong Conservatives" are distroying the Party? Colorado will never go the way of "Stong Conservative" states like ND, Texas or OK
Nothing passed recently in Denver is "UNCONSTITUTIONAL". Maybe you should read the Constitution before you post this crap. Gun Control is supported by a majority of the States Residents.
Nancy – A "stong" Conservative will loose in Colorado. CO is a moderate state. When will the GOP realize that "Stong Conservatives" are distroying the Party?
And he has no chance in hell of winning. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on your point of view, we live in a two party system. Third parties may occasionally win a down the ballot election, but very, very seldom do they win a major election, i.e., governor.
With all due respect, we need a sensible small-government person who is just as libertarian as the founding fathers.
Now if the Colorado GOP could only pull its head out of it's @$$. Can the Colorado GOP find it's @$$ with both hands? Can anyone find the Colorado GOP?
I can see the GOP bigwigs sitting around the ol' HQ now, trying to decide between Scott McInnis or Dan Maes…
"No, wait!" Someone jumps up. "Let's run someone named Coors!"
Matt Hess is running on the Libertarian ticket. He will cut spending, repeal laws that go against the US and Colorado Constitutions, keep government out of your homes and businesses. If you aren't looking beyond the two party system for change, then you are a part of the problem. http://www.matthewhess.org/
If the Colorado GOP wasn't a sick joke, perhaps…
I think Cory Gardner would be a great choice to run against the Hickster but the Colorado GOP has to pull their heads out of a certain place and run a campaign like they really want to win. No more Mr Nice Guy, call Liberals the anti-freedom, pro big government schmucks they are!
Shawn Mitchell.
Donald Dazlich … or get it on the ballot for a vote to repeal what they have done…
Sheriff Maketa, Sheriff Cooke?
They don't. Very astute.
Governor Hickenlooper: just because you don't see us at the capitol all the time doesn't mean we are doing nothing. There is plenty we are doing behind your ability to see.
I don't think Hick has straddled the middle as much as he has zig-zagged back and forth hoping that the result would LOOK centrist. The Left has proved that they would come out and vote, as much as against anyone moderate or conservative, even if the Democrat isn't as nutty far left as they want them to be. The anti-war types still voted for the drone bombings of Obama, the enviro-weenies will vote for fracking by Hickenlooper. They just need to be a Notarepublican.
And what alternate universe do you live in? Oh, that's right. Tancredo isn't a member of the Colorado GOP "good 'ol boys club" and can't get nominated because he's not "progressive" enough for the GOP elite!
We already know that incompetent fascists only get hired for higher office. Lickenhooper is going to be out of a job soon thanks to his ramming anti-self defense laws down our throats…so the next stop for him has to be Washington, and good riddance.
Ray Scott, Greg Brophy, Walker Stapleton, Cory Gardener….
Claire, democrats of three generations ago were still fascists. They just knew that their entire agenda couldn't be passed at the time because the people hadn't been brainwashed enough to swallow the crap they were trying to sell…
The headline says he's "vulnerable". In reality, he's killed his chances for re-election because of his far left agenda, and especially the unConstitutional anti-self defense measures he's signed into law.
I think this new poll confirms Hick's calculus. He figured that the people his anti-gun-owner agenda would irritate are those who would not vote for him anyway. His support remains the same, but he irritated the people who were already disinclined to support him. He has already said as much in that "gun control" is an urban issue (his base) and rural Colorado would be inconvenienced (not his base).
The only swing might be increased turnout by people who care about individual rights.
Most of us won't vote for Tancredo. He is the one responsible for the mess we're in.
After the Republican establishment melt down while trying to shoehorn their favorite candidate in and the resulting debacle of a Maes candidacy I was hopeful that Hickenlooper would be a decent, moderate governor working for the whole state in place of adhering to a strictly progressive agenda (except for fracking, it appears). However, he quickly succumbed to not only playing to the local progressives, he kissed national progressive patootie currying favor with the Obama regime. His relationship with the royal court jester, Biden, appears to be almost incestuous. I suspect he's more interested in a Washington career than helping or respecting the rights of Coloradoans.
Legislatures repeal laws. Getting this session's work undone will require change in the General Assembly as well as the Governor.
Tancredo!
So, who COULD run against Hick?
We need a Real Conservative to run for Governor. No more wimps!
Unfortunately, memories are short, and Bloomberg's wallet is deep!
I would like to see one who is sensible and knowledgeable. You know, the Democrats of maybe two or three generations ago would now be considered EXTREMELY conservative, from what I gather. I realize things change, but it's like the political parties and their stances don't even mean the same things anymore.
We need a strong conservative to run. No wimp. No middle roader. A real conservative who will repeal the ghastly "laws" which in fact are illegal and who will cut spending, cut government size and free up the market in this state. This is not rocket science.