AP poll: Unaffiliated Colo voters lean to Obama

DENVER - In a state where a third of registered voters are listed as independent, unaffiliated Colorado voters leaned more toward Barack Obama than John McCain, according to an Associated Press poll of voters over the past week.

Obama also did well among women, moderates, Hispanics and people seeking change, but he wasn't necessarily a slam dunk among voters under the age of 30, according to the poll.

The poll showed McCain drew voters who described themselves as born-again or evangelical Christians. Voters who identified terrorism as the most important issue facing the country, those who said they want a candidate who shares their values, and those who want a candidate with the right experience also heavily favored McCain.

Dan Shipp, 43, of Lakewood, supported McCain. "I just like his values a little bit better than Obama, and I disagree with some of Obama's economic policies," Shipp said.

In the 2004 presidential election, about 36 percent of Colorado voters were registered as Republicans, 30 percent as Democrats and 33 percent as unaffiliated. The three groups are now about evenly split, according to the Colorado Secretary of State's Office.

In the race for Colorado's open Senate seat, moderates were the strongest base of support for Democratic Rep. Mark Udall, according to the AP poll. Republican Bob Schaffer drew support from evangelical Christians. His strongest base of support was in eastern Colorado, an area he represented when he was in Congress.

According to the poll, most Colorado voters chose the economy as the most important issue facing the country, more than the war in Iraq, terrorism, health care and energy policy. Of those choosing the economy, more leaned toward Obama.

Denver resident Akinye Chatmon, 31, said the candidates' views on education and the middle class pushed him away from McCain.

"He flies private jets. He doesn't know what we do. He doesn't know how we live," said Chatmon, who works as a caregiver but is also taking college classes.

Chatmon said he hasn't voted since 1996 because he didn't like the candidates. This year, he voted for Obama and volunteered for the campaign.

"I felt like if I want to make my voice heard, instead of talking so much, I'd go vote. For the first time in 12 years," he said.

The poll also showed a majority of voters support offering most illegal immigrants working in the U.S. a chance to apply for legal status, rather than deporting them.

The survey of 1,254 Colorado voters was conducted for AP by Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International by landline telephone statewide over the past week. Results are subject to sampling error of plus or minus four percentage points, higher for subgroups.