{"id":4264,"date":"2026-08-28T04:06:31","date_gmt":"2026-08-28T04:06:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=4264"},"modified":"2026-08-28T04:06:31","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T04:06:31","slug":"poll-shows-denver-mayor-mike-johnstons-appeal-declining-as-more-voters-view-melat-kiros-favorably","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=4264","title":{"rendered":"Poll shows Denver Mayor Mike Johnston\u2019s appeal declining \u2014 as more voters view Melat Kiros favorably"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Denver voters\u2019 opinion of Mayor Mike Johnston continued to decline in a new poll released Thursday, with fully 50% of respondents viewing the first-term city leader unfavorably, according to the Colorado Polling Institute.<\/p>\n

Read more Denver nightclub will reopen with new safety measures after security guard accused of assaulting customer<\/a><\/p>\n

But in a seemingly contradictory trend that has continued from last year, a wide plurality of voters still view the city as headed in the right direction. Compared to other figures in city politics, Johnston\u2019s favorability rating outpaced those of his lesser-known opponents in next year\u2019s election \u2014 but fell short of congressional candidate Melat Kiros, who had a net-positive rating among voters.<\/p>\n

The Colorado Polling Institute\u2019s surveys have found that Johnston\u2019s favorability has steadily fallen since 2024, when 48% said they have a favorable opinion of him and 38% said they viewed him in a negative light. In 2025, 46% saw him favorably and 46% unfavorably. In , 39% of city voters viewed him favorably.<\/p>\n

Most voters have consistently said over the years that Johnston, who was elected in 2023, is moving the city in the right direction but that he still needs to do more, according to the results.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s these voters who, early in his term, were saying: \u2018I\u2019m seeing some progress. That\u2019s good. I think he needs to do more.\u2019 And as his term has worn on, those voters have become more and more dissatisfied,\u201d said Kevin Ingham, a pollster who is the Democratic half of CPI\u2019s bipartisan research team. \u201cI think we\u2019re just getting to a point in his term where even if people can see something\u2019s moving in the right direction, they don\u2019t feel like the things have moved fast enough or that they have quite lived up to the promises that he made.\u201d<\/p>\n

The survey of 400 likely voters in the November election was conducted Aug. 11-15. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points.<\/p>\n

In the 2025 survey, Ingham said most people who reported negative associations with Johnston had specific reasons. This year, nearly half of those surveyed just made general comments about him simply not doing a good job.<\/p>\n

About a quarter of those who did approve of his performance cited his work on homelessness as the reason why. His efforts on homelessness had mixed results in the poll overall. When asked about that issue specifically, the share of people saying he has made \u201csignificant progress\u201d doubled between 2024 and 2026, from 8% to 16%. However, that\u2019s still lower than the 18% who said this year that Johnston had made homelessness worse.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Homelessness is still seen as voters\u2019 top issue in Denver, followed by affordable housing and crime.<\/p>\n

In a statement responding to the poll results, Johnston spokesman Jon Ewing said, \u201cDenverites agree: the city is better today than it was before Mayor Johnston took office. From historic reductions in homelessness and crime to transformative investments in affordable housing and downtown recovery, Denver residents see the progress and believe the city is moving in the right direction, even as they expect us to keep delivering.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lori Weigel, the group\u2019s Republican pollster, said it\u2019s difficult for the group to say whether the results might be predictive of the 2027 mayoral election, when Johnston will run for a second term.<\/p>\n

\u201cElections are about choices,\u201d she said. \u201cThe focus is not going to be (only) on the mayor \u2014 there\u2019s going to be an opponent, there\u2019s going to be a contrast there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Number of children traumatically injured by e-bikes spikes dramatically at Colorado hospitals<\/a><\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Other candidates and issues<\/h4>\n

As Johnston\u2019s approval decreases, slightly more of Denverites surveyed said they viewed socialism favorably.<\/p>\n

In CPI\u2019s 2025 poll, 52% of voters said they had a positive view of socialism. This year it was 55%. The share of respondents who said they have a \u201cvery favorable\u201d view of socialism rose from 20% to 25% during that time. About the same share of people reported having a positive view of capitalism \u2014 about 47% of respondents \u2014 in 2025 and 2026.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s some pretty stark divisions of opinion towards socialism and capitalism by age,\u201d Ingham said. \u201cYounger voters are pretty down on capitalism.\u201d<\/p>\n

Voters appeared to be generally dissatisfied with the status quo more than specifically unhappy with capitalism, he said. Most people who mentioned a favorable view of socialism pointed to universal healthcare, a fairer economy and \u201ctaxing the rich.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s in line with an electorate that recently chose Kiros, a democratic socialist, as the Democratic nominee for Colorado\u2019s 1st Congressional District. Kiros, who made national headlines when she defeated 15-term incumbent U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette in June, also saw a higher favorability rating than DeGette in the recent poll.<\/p>\n

Nearly 45% of voters said they viewed her favorably compared to 35% who said the same of DeGette, according to the results. About 30% said they had a negative view of Kiros and nearly 50% said they view DeGette unfavorably.<\/p>\n

The pollsters also asked for input about how voters view two of Johnston\u2019s opponents in his upcoming bid for reelection: Lisa Calder\u00f3n and City Councilwoman Shontel Lewis.<\/p>\n

Lewis, whom the Denver chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America just endorsed, had less name recognition and favorability than Calder\u00f3n, who\u2019s run twice before. About 65% of respondents said they had never heard of Lewis, while 47% said they had never heard of Calder\u00f3n. Only 15% said they had a favorable view of Lewis and 19% said they had an unfavorable view, with the rest having no opinion. Calder\u00f3n saw 27% favorability, compared to 25% unfavorability.<\/p>\n

Slightly more respondents than last year said they viewed the City Council unfavorably, with 44% reporting negative associations. The Denver Public School Board continues to have a steady low favorability, with only 25% of voters viewing the board and its members in a positive light, according to the results.<\/p>\n

Denverites reported that their top three issues for the city are homelessness, affordable housing and crime.<\/p>\n

Stay up-to-date with Colorado Politics by signing up for our weekly newsletter, The Spot.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more Deion Sanders must be available for virtual testimony at son\u2019s bankruptcy trial<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Denver voters’ opinion of Mayor Mike Johnston continued to decline in a poll from Colorado Polling Institute on Thursday. 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