Pollsters: Pro-pot Libertarian Gary Johnson could hurt Obama in Colorado

Gary Johnson (Courtesy photo)

What: Gary Johnson campaign event

When: 7 to 8:30 p.m. Monday

Where: University of Colorado campus, Math Building, Room 100, Boulder

More info: garyjohnson2012.com

Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson will make a campaign stop on the University of Colorado campus on Monday night, and pollsters say the third-party candidate with a pro-pot agenda could siphon votes away from President Barack Obama in his razor-close race against Mitt Romney in this battleground state.

Johnson, the former governor of New Mexico, will be on the Boulder campus at 7 p.m. in the Math 100 building for a town-hall style gathering. Proponents of Colorado ballot measure Amendment 64, which seeks to legalize marijuana and regulate it like alcohol, also will be at the event.

Traditionally, libertarians such as Johnson tend to draw votes away from Republican candidates. But with marijuana legalization being a key issue for Johnson, there's the potential for voters already enthused about Amendment 64 to also cast votes in favor of the Libertarian presidential candidate -- including some from the left-leaning youth demographic, pollsters say.

A poll released Friday by NBC News, the Wall Street Journal and the Marist Institute for Public Opinion shows the presidential race between Obama and Romney tied in Colorado at 48 percent apiece. In September, that same poll showed the president with a 5-point lead over his Republican counterpart. Two percent of the voters polled most recently indicated they were undecided or considered changing their mind.

Political analyst Eric Sondermann said that Colorado could be the closest race in the nation in this presidential election. There was early speculation that having marijuana legalization on the ballot would benefit the Obama campaign as it could draw youth voters, Sondermann said.

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Pollsters: Pro-pot Libertarian Gary Johnson could hurt Obama in Colorado

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