,

Senate underdogs spin polling their way

,

The emails from two US Senate candidates arrived the same day. First it was Republican Tom Wiens boasting of a new poll that shows he would top both Democrats, Sen. Michael Bennet and former Speaker Andrew Romanoff, if the 2010 election were held today. Then it was Romanoff crowing that he tops all comers from both parties in a Denver Business Journal poll. I was intrigued enough to click the links, but upon doing so, I learned there's more to the story in both cases.

Romanoff didn't mention that his DBJ triumph came in an unscientific reader-initiated straw poll, where some 1600 self-selected (or candidate-prompted) respondents took part.

Wiens didn't mention that his encouraging news came in context with overall results in a Rasmussen survey (randomly sampled and scientific, at least) where both of the other GOP contenders, Jane Norton and Ken Buck, ran stronger against both Democrats than he did.

Here is the DBJ straw poll tally on Colorado Senate 2010:

Andrew Romanoff - 29% Tom Wiens - 20% Jane Norton - 18% Michael Bennet - 13% Ken Buck - 8% Undecided and other - 11%

Below is the Rasmussen poll on Colorado Senate 2010, with interpretive text from Real Clear Politics.

After President Obama won Colorado last year, many believed the state was trending blue. However, Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet (D), appointed this year to fill the vacant seat, trails three potential Republican opponents in a new Rasmussen poll (Dec. 8, 500 LV, MoE +/- 4.5%).

Bennet's favorable rating remains low, with 39% viewing him favorably and 46% unfavorably. All three Republicans -- Jane Norton, Tom Wiens and Ken Buck -- also lead Bennet's primary opponent, Andrew Romanoff.

Norton 45 - Romanoff 34 Norton 46 - Bennet 37 Wiens 41 - Romanoff 40 Wiens 42 - Bennet 41 Buck 41 - Romanoff 39 Buck 42 - Bennet 38

GOP unifies as Ritter fades

Slated on Backbone Radio, Dec. 13 Listen every Sunday, 5-8pm on 710 KNUS, Denver... 1460 KZNT, Colorado Springs... and streaming live at 710knus.com.

Don't miss our governor's race preview show this evening. Republicans are on offense and Dems on defense as the 2010 election year is soon to dawn. With Gov. Bill Ritter weaker than any incumbent in half a century, his party was counting on opposition infighting to keep their chances alive. The GOP unity movement of recent weeks has changed all that. I'll talk with Republican challenger Scott McInnis about his game plan for the months ahead, with Josh Penry about why he closed ranks behind Mighty Mac, and with underdog Dan Maes about why he intends to fight on.

Other big questions on our Dec. 13 show... Will the nation's distaste for tax-funded abortion sink Obama's takeover of US health care? ... And will the teacher unions stop at nothing in their power trip at kids' expense?

Here's the guest lineup: 5:30 Scott McInnis 6:00 Dan Maes 6:30 Josh Penry 7:00 Pro-life organizers Leslie Hanks & Lolita Hanks 7:30 Education policy analyst Ben DeGrow

Backbone is the quality that won America's independence from the Old World and carved Colorado out of the wilderness. It's the quality our country needs more than ever now, to keep from going soft and stagnant as Europe has. It's what our radio program has been about since 2004. Thank you for being part of it.

Yours for the Constitution, JOHN ANDREWS

BOOKS YOU WILL VALUE *  LANDMARKS IN THE STORM

BROWSE & BUY →