John Hickenlooper

Incumbent U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper holds a small lead in the June 30 Democratic primary for his seat, a surprising situation given his nearly universal name recognition among likely primary voters.

Hickenlooper leads State Sen. Julie Gonzales 41% to 34% in the primary, according to the poll released June 8 by Colorado Community Research. When “leaners” to one candidate are not allocated, Hickenlooper’s lead is 38% to 30%.

The text-to-web survey of 796 likely Democratic primary voters was conducted by inviting respondents to complete an online survey from May 22 to May 28. Colorado Community Research — a polling, public opinion research and political consulting firm — did not name a client for the survey, which has a margin of error of +/- 4%.

The survey finds Hickenlooper with a 62% to 32% favorability rating, meaning only about one in 20 people responding to the poll did not have an opinion of him. Gonzales has a 37% to 5% favorability rating, according to the survey, which also notes 56% haven't heard enough about Gonzales.

Mail ballots for primary voters were sent out June 8.

How have Hickenlooper and Gonzales fared in prior polls?

The only prior public poll for the Democratic primary was taken before the party assembly, which winnowed the field. It showed Hickenlooper leading Gonzales 45% to 13%, with 37% undecided and the remaining balance going to candidates no longer in the race.

An April Colorado Polling Institute poll tested ratings of certain Colorado office holders and showed Hickenlooper with a 43% favorable, 43% unfavorable rating.

Who leads in the Democratic primary for Colorado governor?

Michael Bennet, Colorado’s other U.S. senator, also saw a small lead over Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser in the state’s Democratic gubernatorial primary.

Bennet leads Weiser 36% to 30% in the survey from Public Policy Polling released earlier in June.

That poll also showed 34% of respondents undecided.

The survey was conducted for Fighting for Colorado, a super PAC backing Weiser, and showed a much smaller lead than a pair of earlier public polls by other groups.

Nate Trela covers trending news in Colorado and Utah for the USA TODAY Network, with an emphasis on consumer finance, legal issues and state laws.