Poll: Clinton holds double-digit lead in Colorado

DENVER, July 13 (UPI) -- A new poll shows Democrat Hillary Clinton on a Rocky Mountain high, holding a double-digit lead over Republican Donald Trump in the battleground state of Colorado.

Monmouth University polled the Rocky Mountain State, and found Clinton leading Trump 48 percent to 35 percent, a 13-point gap. Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson clocked in at 5 percent and Green Party candidate Jill Stein registered 3 percent. Another 7 percent said they were undecided.

Clinton holds sizable leads among women voters (26 points) and voters under 50 (25 points), helping pad her overall lead.

Monmouth pollster Patrick Murray said Clinton is outperforming her national numbers in Colorado in nearly every category and while the race remains in a very early stage, she would be poised to post an exceptionally good showing for a Democrat in Colorado if the election were to be held now.

"Clinton does better among practically every demographic in Colorado than she does nationally. It is way too early to call, but if this dynamic holds, she could end up with the largest electoral margin for a Democrat here since 1964," Murray said.

Clinton's strong polling numbers come despite four-in-10 Colorado voters saying she acted criminally by using a private email system while secretary of state.

Though it has trended blue over the past eight years, Colorado has traditionally proven tough skiing for Democratic presidential candidates.

President Barack Obama carried Colorado in 2008 and 2012. Prior to that, Bill Clinton was the only Democrat to win the state (in 1992), since Lyndon Johnson's 1964 landslide.

Monmouth University polled 404 likely voters from July 9-12. The poll has a margin of error of 4.9 percentage points.