DENVER — A new poll of Colorado Republicans could provide insight as to why Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colorado) has already endorsed President Trump's reelection.
Louisville-based Magellan Strategies just completed a poll of 622 Republicans primary and general election voters in Colorado and found President Trump's job approval and image rating "could not be any stronger."
Nine-out-of-10 Republicans polled approve of the job that the President is doing, while 72 percent "strongly approve."
"He is giving Republican voters what they want, and they love him for it," the poll surmised.
At the end of January, Gardner told the Independent Journal Review that he will back President Trump for reelection because what Democratic presidential candidates would do to his state of Colorado is worse.
Two days after the November election, Republican-leaning Magellan Strategies conducted a poll of unaffiliated voters and found that President Trump drove unaffiliated voters away from the Republican Party in the midterms.
The poll results released this morning show that Colorado Republican voters overwhelmingly supported the president and his decision to shut down the government in order to get funding for a border wall with Mexico.
Of those interviewed, 81 percent supported the government shut down for a border wall and 88 percent support building a wall altogether.
The poll, which has an error rate of +/- 3.93 percent, was conducted on Jan. 30, Jan. 31 and Feb. 4. The 35-day government shutdown lasted from Dec. 22 to Jan. 25.
Nearly half of Republican primary voters that were polled said that immigration was their number one issue. That rate was 40 percent for Republicans who voted in the general election.
The poll determined that Republicans in Colorado believe that the president is keeping his campaign promises on illegal immigration, improving the economy and creating jobs.
Only 17 percent of those polled would prefer a different Republican nominee for president in 2020, but nearly four-out-of-five, 78 percent, want President Trump to be the nominee.
As it relates to Colorado issues, the poll asked about Gov. Jared Polis' (D-Colorado) to have the state pay for full-day kindergarten.
It was opposed by 62 percent who were polled, while 34 percent supported the idea.
Interestingly, when broken down by sex and age, state-funded full-day kindergarten was supported by more women and more Republicans in the age group that might have a kindergartner.
While only 29 percent of male respondents supported full-day kindergarten, 39 percent of women did.
And in the 35-to-44 age group, it was an even 47-47 percent split between Republican voters on state-funded full-day kindergarten.
The poll also asked voters about red flag legislation that was considered, but rejected at the State Capitol late in the session last spring.
The red flag bill would allow a judge to temporarily remove the weapons from someone's possession if they are deemed an extreme risk to themselves or others. The bill passed the Democratic-led House last year, but was killed in a Republican-led Senate committee. Another attempt at a red flag bill is expected this legislative session.
In the poll of 622 Colorado Republican voters, 60 percent said they support the idea of red flag legislation, while 33 percent said they did not.
When asked why Republicans suffered historical losses in the 2018 general election in Colorado, a popular response was focused on transplants.
"It was because of the influx of out of state people moving to Colorado, and that the government is taking a more active role or bigger role in terms regulation of everyday lives," said one 18-to-34 male Republican voter.
"I think due to the growth in Denver a large part of the people that have moved here have come from a very liberal state and have brought their politics with them," said a 35-to-44, female Republican voter.
"Too much influx from California and other liberal states, and a very poor job by Republicans," said a 65 or older male Republican voter.
According to Magellan Strategies, "the purpose of this survey was to measure and understand the opinions of Colorado Republican voters who vote in Republican primaries and those who do not. After Republican candidates suffered devastating losses in the 2018 election, we fielded this survey to learn how Republican voters want to move forward."
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