Colorado Republicans Lead in Early Voting

Republicans in Colorado are leading Democrats in early votes that have been cast, illustrating the enthusiasm gap between supporters of Mitt Romney and Barack Obama. 

According to Denver’s NBC affiliate, more than 325,000 ballots have been cast in Colorado by mail or in-person voting as of Wednesday and, according to the Colorado Secretary of State’s office, Republicans have registered 5,000 more votes than Democrats. This represents a net nine-point gain for Republicans from 2008. 

Here is the partisan breakdown of the 2012 early vote as of Wednesday in Colorado: 

39% Republican

37% Democrat

24% Unaffiliated/Other

In 2008, at the same time, the breakdown was: 

40% Democrat

33% Republican

27% Unaffiliated/Other

Mitt Romney has surged to the lead in many Colorado polls and has been consistently polling ahead of Obama among independent voters.

Obama won Colorado by nine points in 2008, but Romney currently has a slight lead in the RCP average of polls in the state.