President Trump: Stapleton is “extraordinary,” Polis is “weak”

President Donald Trump repeated his endorsement of Colorado gubernatorial candidate Walker Stapleton Thursday on Twitter — a message aimed at increasing base turnout to support the trailing candidate.

Trump first tweeted his support for the state treasurer Oct. 10 in the race against Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Polis. On Thursday morning, Republican and Democratic pollsters released polls showing Polis leading Stapleton by 5 percentage points and 8 percentage points, respectively.

“@WalkerStapleton will be an extraordinary Governor for the State of Colora do,” Trump wrote in backtoback tweets posted Thursday afternoon. “He is strong, smart, and has been successful at everything he has ever done. … His opponent, Jared Polis, is weak on crime and weak on borders — could never do the job.”

He exhorted his supporters in Colorado: “Walker has my Complete and Total Endorsement!”

Stapleton has expressed measured support for Trump. He has tamped down his praise since the June primary as he tries to appeal to unaffiliated voters in a state where Trump’s approval ratings are underwater. Last month, his campaign embraced Trump’s first endorsement.

Still, Trump hasn’t come to Colorado to campaign for Stapleton, and it looks unlikely he’ll do so before Tuesday. The president has 10 more campaign rallies scheduled through Monday to support candidates in several areas of the country, with the nearest ones in Montana and Missouri.

Stapleton retweeted Trump’s comments, while Polis responded with a tweet of his own saying Stapleton would bring Trump’s “divisive leadership” to Colorado.

More than 1 million voters have cast ballots in Colorado, or nearly onethird of those registered, according to the secretary of state’s office.