It isn’t the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico or immigration. It’s not medical marijuana or the war on terror. Whether they are politically left or right, a majority of Coloradans say the most pressing issue facing the nation is “jobs and the economy,” according to the first Denver Post/9News poll of the 2010 political campaign season, which culminates in elections this November.

The poll comes amid news that the state’s unemployment rate was steady at eight percent in May, slightly lower than the 8.2 percent rate in May 2009, notes The Associated Press, which reports that hiring by the U.S. Census Bureau helped lower the rate this year. Nationally, the unemployment rate is 9.7 percent.

The automated Post/9News poll of about 3,000 likely voters was conducted last week by SurveyUSA. It also finds that Barack Obama, who carried the state during the 2008 presidential election, has slipped in popularity: 52 percent of Coloradans now hold an unfavorable view of him; 35 percent favorable.

As for other important issues locally, liberals say energy and health care are their next most pressing concerns, while conservatives claim they worry more about the deficit and immigration.