May 20, 2010 08:20 PM UTC

Poll: Hickenlooper Slips Into Dead Heat With McInnis

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• by: RedGreen

( – promoted by Colorado Pols)

Public Policy Polling is just out with its Colorado gubernatorial match-up, and the results aren’t good for Democrat John Hickenlooper. The Denver mayor led Republican Scott McInnis 50-39 in March, but the two are now tied at 44-44, according to the survey.

Hickenlooper, who has been subjected to heavy advertising labeling him “No Jobs John” without a response, looks to have lost plenty of support among Independent voters. “Most crucially, Hickenlooper has seen a 48-34 lead with independents evaporate to a 42- 46 deficit,” PPP says in its analysis of the poll. (Full results in PDF here.)

Still, Hickenlooper remains the most popular politician in the state with 47% viewing him favorably and 33% unfavorably, but that’s a significant drop from 51-27 measured by PPP in March. “The entire drop has come among Republicans (30-41 to 21-57) and independents (49-28 to 44-34),” PPP notes.

McInnis favorability is mostly unchanged. Can it be that all the buzz about the elk he shot and tax returns he won’t release haven’t moved public opinion much, but the Republican Governors Association ads have?

From the PPP release on its CO-GOV poll:

“John Hickenlooper has an unusual level of personal popularity with independents and Republicans for a Democrat,” said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling. “But it’s not translating into a willingness by them to vote for him. Between this race and the Senate contest Colorado will be one of the most hard fought states in the country this year.”