Do the Republicans Have a Challenger to Hickenlooper?

From the party holding nearly all top state and federal positions in 2004 to a party that controls hardly none nine years later, the Republican prospect for 2014 appears mixed at best.

The latest PPP robo poll ranked the most frequently mentioned Republican candidates in a head-to-head with Hickenlooper and found Bob Beauprez and Jane Norton frontrunners, but hardly threatening. And, neither has indicated their interest in the governor’s race.

In a series of head-to-head match-ups, Hickenlooper received 52 percent to 49 percent, with a spread ranging from 7 percent to 11 percent.

The latest PPP robo poll shows the highest profile Republican names with very modest name identification or positive ratings. The potential candidate with the highest favorability rating is Tom Tancredo (only 30%), the polarizing, anti-illegal immigration activist who got 36 percent in his 2010 third-party run for governor. Bob Beauprez, who lost for governor in 2006, was the strongest candidate in the current field. He received 43% against Hickenlooper, but only came within 7 points. Beauprez has shown more interest in the U.S. Senate race. Jane Norton, former Lieutenant Governor and 2010 senate candidate, has slightly more than fifty percent name identification and the second highest favorability. She could be a candidate for either governor or U.S. Senate.

Senator Mark Udall, who is facing re-election next year, also won head-to-head matches, from 7 percent with Beauprez to a high of 13 percent with several lesser known political candidates.

See:
The Buzz:  Hickenlooper in trouble?
The Buzz:  Hickenlooper and Udall re-election