Most Colorado voters report having an "unfavorable" view of Trump and Musk, according to a survey from Healthier Colorado released on Thursday, December 19. The poll found that 56 percent of respondents had a poor opinion of Trump, 43 percent had a positive view of him, and one percent had no opinion. For Musk, 51 percent had an unfavorable view of him and 44 percent had a favorable view.
The survey of 800 registered voters was proportionate to Colorado's partisan makeup: Nearly half of the respondents were unaffiliated, 26 percent were Democrats and 23 percent were Republicans. Voters' sentiments toward the politicos varied dramatically by party affiliation.
Of unaffiliated voters, 64.4 percent had negative attitudes toward Trump and 54.2 percent had negative attitudes toward Musk. For Democrats, those numbers shot up to 85.8 percent for Trump and 79.6 percent for Musk. For Republicans, only 5.3 percent for Trump and 11.3 percent for Musk.
Women were more likely to have unfavorable views of both of the men, as were college-educated voters. For Trump, white respondents were the most critical; 58.4 percent of them reported negative opinions of Trump, compared to 56.1 percent of Black respondents and 44.1 percent of Hispanic respondents.
Colorado voters' distaste for Trump is evident in his political performance in the state (and the way Coloradans mock Cybertruck drivers might hint at their feelings for Musk). In the 2016, 2020 and 2024 presidential elections, Trump's Democratic challengers won Colorado by sizable margins. While all fifty states shifted to the right this election, Colorado had one of the smallest rises in support for Trump compared to 2020, according to a New York Times analysis.
Results of a survey of 800 registered voters in Colorado conducted in December 2024.
Healthier Colorado
Polis was the only one of the four to receive positive feedback from a majority of survey respondents — 52 percent viewed him favorably, 40 percent viewed him unfavorably and 8 percent had no opinion. His popularity persisted among nearly all ages, genders, races and incomes. The only demographic groups with a mostly negative view of the governor were Hispanic voters and men between the ages of 45 and 64 (both just under 52 percent unfavorable).
Responses were the most mixed for Kennedy. The survey found no majority judgment, with 43 percent of respondents viewing him favorably, 47 percent viewing him unfavorably, and 10 percent having no opinion. However, opinions about Kennedy's policies were more clear.
The poll found that 54 percent of voters support continuing to add fluoride to the public water supply and 72 percent support requiring parents to vaccinate their children for contagious diseases before being able to send them to schools or child-care centers — two things Kennedy has advocated against.
The gap in support for Polis compared to Kennedy and his policies is noteworthy considering Polis has publicly aligned himself with some of the controversial figure's policy ideas, celebrating Kennedy's selection into Trump's Cabinet last month. Critics accused Polis of trying to move to the right politically as he prepares to leave the governor's office and perhaps seek higher office.
Who will take Polis's place as governor was another focus of the Healthier Colorado poll. A previous round of survey results released on Monday asked 630 Democrats and unaffiliated voters whom they plan to vote for in the 2026 Democratic primary election for the governor's office.
A plurality of respondents — 37 percent — were undecided. The lead prospective candidate was U.S. Representative Joe Neguse, who was chosen by 20 percent of respondents, followed by Secretary of State Jena Griswold (16 percent), former U.S. Secretary of the Interior/U.S. Senator/State Attorney General Ken Salazar (11 percent), and Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser (8 percent).
None of the prospective candidates were viewed favorably by a majority of respondents, as a large number of voters reported having no opinion or not knowing the politicians. But Griswold was the most popular, with 44 percent favorability. Neguse and Salazar both got 40 percent, and Weiser got 32 percent.
As Griswold's favorability persists despite her recent string of controversies, maybe there's hope for Trump and Musk to turn around their Colorado reputations after all.
