'Card check,' healthcare weigh on Bennet for 2010

Support for healthcare and "card check" legislation would weigh on Sen. Michael Bennet's (D-Colo.) reelection chances, a new poll found Friday.

A plurality of Colorado voters said they would prefer a new senator over Bennet, a first term senator appointed to fill the vacancy left by Ken Salazar, who became secretary of the Interior.

45 percent of voters said they would elect a new person in the Senate, compared to  20 percent who said Bennet deserves reelection. 33 percent said they didn't know or that their vote would depend on circumstances.

Bennet remains relatively unknown in his state, with 30 percent saying they had never heard of him, and 21 percent having no opinion of the former Denver Public Schools superintendent.

Of those who were familiar with the senator, 26 had a favorable opinion of Bennet, and 23 percent had an unfavorable opinion.

The Colorado Democrat's reelection prospects could hinge on two key issues, though: the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) and healthcare reform legislation.

When read a description of EFCA, 66 percent of Coloradans said they'd prefer a candidate who would vote against the union organizing bill, compared to 29 percent who said they would prefer a candidate who supports the "card check" bill.

When read description of key components of the bill, the card check provision and the binding arbitration provision, almost 2/3rds of voters expressed disapproval in the poll, which was commissioned by the anti-EFCA Workforce Fairness Institute and conducted by Public Opinion Strategies.

57 percent of Colorado voters also said they would prefer a candidate who opposes the healthcare reform bills before Congress, while 33 percent said they're more likely to support a candidate backing such a bill.

The poll, conducted December 12-15, has a 4.38 percent margin of error.

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