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Coloradans have gloomy outlook on economy, elected leaders — and fear rise in political violence, poll finds

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Coloradans have gloomy outlook on economy, elected leaders — and fear rise in political violence, poll finds


Colorado voters hold a dim view of national politics, with nearly 3 in 4 characterizing the political situation as “in crisis.” And further, nearly two-thirds of respondents to a new poll fear political violence will worsen over the next few years.

Overall, the results from the Colorado Polling Institute, with the results released in phases on Thursday and Friday, show a dour outlook dominating the Centennial State 10 months into President Donald Trump’s second term. The poll also was conducted a month into the recently concluded — and record-long — federal government shutdown, and less than two months since the assassination on a college campus of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk.

Outside politics, 46% of Colorado voters said they think the economy will only get worse, while another 43% think it’ll only stay about the same — leaving a sliver of voters, just 12%, with a rosy outlook.

“I think it’s a general sense that there’s so many different issues that are weighing on them — they’re concerned about the economy, they’re even concerned about jobs today, it’s not just cost of living anymore. That just combines to be a real downer,” said pollster Lori Weigel, principal of New Bridge Strategy, the Republican half of the bipartisan team behind the poll.

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Add in fears of political violence and an overall crisis of governance, Weigel said, and “how can you be sort of positive when you feel like that’s happening?”

Colorado voters are also reeling from the down economy more than the rest of the country, the pollsters found: 61% of respondents said they had cut spending on nonessential items compared to last year, versus 42% of the nation writ large, and 28% of Coloradans said their habits had remained about the same, compared to 43% of the nation.

The poll was in the field Nov. 1-5. The pollsters conducted online interviews with 622 registered voters that featured an over-sample of Hispanic voters to gauge that demographic’s views on certain questions. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.

Hits to politicians’ favorability ratings

Coloradans’ souring feelings on politics as a whole have bled over to state leaders, though the changes were often within the margin of error. Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, is now slightly underwater with voters in favorable feelings, at 45% favorable to 46% unfavorable, according to the poll.

It’s a noticeable slip from March, when a bare majority, 51%, of voters held a favorable opinion of the term-limited governor and 40% had an unfavorable view. More voters also hold a very unfavorable view of him now, at 33%, than earlier this year, when it was 26%.

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U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat who is up for reelection next year, saw a similar slip, going from 49% favorable to 43% between March and this month. His unfavorable rating was 36% in March and 38% this month.



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Pedestrian dies after walking into highway traffic in Northern Colorado, police say

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Pedestrian dies after walking into highway traffic in Northern Colorado, police say


Police in Northern Colorado are investigating after a crash involving multiple vehicles claimed the life of a pedestrian.

The Greeley Police Department received reports of a crash at the 5500 block of Highway 34 around 5:50 p.m. on Monday. When officers arrived, they discovered that two vehicles were involved in a crash with a 19-year-old woman who attempted to walk across the highway.

Police said there was no crosswalk in the area, and she was struck by the driver’s side of a Chevrolet Blazer. The impact knocked the woman into the inside lane, where she was struck by a Chevrolet Traverse. A witness told officers they saw the woman crossing the roadway ‘as traffic arrived at her location.’

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First responders attempted life-saving measures on the woman at the scene before she was taken to North Colorado Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead. GPD said the Weld County Coroner’s Office will release her identity at a later time.

Neither driver involved was injured in the crash. Police said they don’t expect charges to be filed against those drivers at the moment, but the case remains under investigation. The police department asked anyone with information on the crash to contact Officer Ed Kubala at Edward.Kubala@greeleypd.com.



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Sunday tickets are free at this historic Colorado ski area

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Sunday tickets are free at this historic Colorado ski area


Colorado’s best ski deal?  Maybe one that costs nothing at all.  At Steamboat Springs’ Howelsen Hill, “Sunday Funday is taken to an entirely new level,” reads the city webpage for Ski Free Sundays. Yes, on Sundays throughout the season, visitors need only to walk into the ticket office to grab a pass at no charge.  […]



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Are Colorado’s per capita carbon emissions among the highest in the world?

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Are Colorado’s per capita carbon emissions among the highest in the world?


Yes.

While Colorado ranks near the middle of U.S. states for carbon emissions per capita, it still produces enough CO2 per person to rival countries on the World Bank’s list of top emitters internationally.

In 2023, Colorado produced 13.9 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions per capita. If it had been ranked by the World Bank during the same year, Colorado would have placed 14th among the more than 200 countries on the list, just behind Canada, at 14.1, and just ahead of the U.S. as a whole, at 13.7. 

Among U.S. states, Colorado ranked 26th in carbon emissions per capita. Wyoming had the highest per capita emissions in the country, at 92.9 metric tons, while Maryland had the lowest, at 7.8. 

Most of Colorado’s emissions come from energy production and consumption, primarily natural gas and oil production and electric power production and consumption. 

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This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

The Colorado Sun partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

Sources

References:

Colorado State Energy Profile, U.S. Energy Information Administration, accessed in December 2025. Source link

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2023 Colorado Statewide Inventory of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks, pg. 128, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, November 2024. Source link

Senate Bill 24-230 Oil and Gas Production Fees, Colorado General Assembly, accessed in December, 2025. Source link

Senate Bill 23-016 Greenhouse Gas Reduction Measures, Colorado General Assembly, accessed in December 2025. Source link

Carbon dioxide emissions, World Bank Group, 2024, accessed in December 2025. Source link

Energy-related CO2 emission data tables, U.S. Energy Information Administration, accessed in December 2025. Source link

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Type of Story: Fact-Check

Checks a specific statement or set of statements asserted as fact.

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Cassis Tingley is a Denver-based freelance journalist. She’s spent the last three years covering topics ranging from political organizing and death doulas in the Denver community to academic freedom and administrative accountability at the…
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