Schaffer making gains in Senate race, polls show

Posted by egable on July 25th, 2008 filed in Energy development, Elections

Voters in Colorado appear to be reacting to the high cost of gas, throwing more support in recent weeks to Republican Senate candidate Bob Schaffer, who supports increased domestic energy development. Two polls released this week show Democratic candidate Mark Udall’s lead over Schaffer has shriveled up.

The most comprehensive of the two, a survey of 1,425 likely voters in Colorado released yesterday by Quinnipiac University, shows Udall and Schaffer in a dead heat, his 10-point lead in the same poll a month ago now gone. By a 50 percent to 39 percent margin, Colorado voters said a candidate’s position on energy policy is more important than his stance on the war in Iraq.

The second survey, released this week by Rasmussen Reports, found a three-point advantage for the Democrat, 49 percent to 46 percent. Last month, Rep. Udall enjoyed a nine-point lead over Schaffer in the same poll. In May, he lead by six points.