Ken Buck 53%, Jane Norton 37%; Michael Bennet 53%, Andrew Romanoff 36%

by Donald E. L. Johnson | 8:12 am, June 20, 2010 | 3 Comments

A new Denver Post poll shows that Ken Buck leads Jane Norton in their race for the GOP's U.S. Senate nomination, 53% to 37%. Michael Bennet leads Andrew Romanoff in their race for the Democrats' nomination, 53% to 36%. The primary elections are Aug. 10, and voters will start mailing in their ballots by about July 20. Buck leads Bennet 46% to 43%. This shows the anti-Obama Democrat sentiment has held steady all year, but the race is still close. Bennet has raised millions for his campaign while Buck has raised only several hundred thousand dollars. Buck's weak fundraising has been offset by more than a million dollars of advertising funded by political action committees (PACs) and 527 groups financed by unnamed contributors. With Buck and Bennet in a virtual tie, the race will depend on whether voters remain unhappy with Obama Democrats and whether Buck can match Bennet's strong fundraising. Political consultants say that if candidates don't have the money they need for a general election by July, they will have a tough time beating a candidate with as much money on hand as Bennet has.  However, this is 2010, and both Buck and Bennet are relatively unknown to voters. All Buck has to do is attract enough funding to be competitive in what looks like a strong GOP year, and he has a chance to beat the appointed Obama Democrat Bennet. This is the second credible poll that shows Buck leading Norton and the first one that shows Bennet with such a big lead over the underfunded Romanoff. At what point will Republicans unite behind Buck and Democrats behind Bennet? After the primary or now? Wishful thinkers will wait until after the primaries. Political pros will start shifting their allegiances and support now. Both Buck and Bennet seem to have insurmountable leads. There are no signs that either Norton or Romanoff are attracting the strong, passionate support that they will need to pull off victories in August. LINKs: Poll: Buck, Bennet lead in U.S. Senate primary races. By Michael Booth. Why is Ken Buck leading Jane Norton by 10 points? The Business Word, 6.11.2010.

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