Democrat Jared Polis is leading Republican Walker Stapleton in Colorado's governor's race.
A recent bi-partisan poll of likely voters found Polis' seven-point lead is driven by his appeal with unaffiliated and female voters. The poll's margin of error was plus or minus four percentage points.
The phone survey , conducted by Keating Research and Magellan Strategies and commissioned by Healthier Colorado, was administered to 600 likely republican, democrat and unaffiliated voters. It also asked if they would support several health policies including taxing e-cigarettes, allowing people with limited insurance options to purchase a health plan from the state's Medicaid program and the Colorado Attorney General's lawsuit against opioid manufacturers.
A majority of respondents said yes.
"It's something that affects everybody, it's something that everybody intuitively understands," said Jake Williams, executive director of Healthier Colorado, a nonpartisan advocacy organization. "Ideology plays less of a roll when it comes to improving people's lives and making sure they can live life to the fullest.
The poll also found overwhelming support for a red flag law, which would allow a judge to confiscate someone's gun if they are a threat to themselves or others. A proposed bill failed during this year's legislative session.
Healthier Colorado plans to use the survey results to advocate for and inform lawmakers about health policy when the Colorado General Assembly begins next year.
"I think people are looking for solutions and kind of the old ideas about what can be done by state government when it comes to health promotion are out of date," said Williams. "It's time to think a new about what's possible for Colorado."
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