It’s not over yet, but Republican gubernatorial candidate Walker Stapleton needs to come out swinging in a series of debates that start Friday, agreed a panel of experts at the University of Denver Tuesday.

They cited polling out that morning that gave Democrat Jared Polis a 7-point lead, with the political winds at his back, five weeks from Election Day.

> RELATED: Debate update: Stapleton, Polis to square off 8 times in Colo. governor’s race

“Seven points is substantial, but it’s not insurmountable,” said Dick Wadhams, a renowned campaign strategist and the former Colorado Republican Party chairman.

Wadhams managed the campaign for the last Republican governor, Bill Owens, when he came from behind late in the race to beat Democrat Gail Schoettler in 1998.

He laid out a tough road for Stapleton and said the state treasurer must try to expose Polis as too liberal. Wadhams added that Stapleton also should force the Democratic congressman from Boulder to talk about how he would pay for his promises, including universal health care and all-day preschool while moving the state away from oil and gas, an industry that pumps mega bucks into local and state budgets, while employing more than 147,000 people.

“But he’s got to rise to those opportunities, and he’s got that opportunity with these televised debates,” he said.

> RELATED: Poll finds Polis leading Stapleton by 7 points in Colorado governor’s race

The panel convened by the Crossley Center for Public Opinion Research at DU agreed that Stapleton and U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman, a usually popular incumbent from Aurora, are running in a tough environment for Republicans this year.

Usually Republicans can separate themselves from the national party to appeal to local voters, but President Trump has kept the focus on him, making this midterm a referendum on his politics and antics.

Democratic strategist and campaign manager Steve Welchert also thought Stapleton needed to go harder at his differences with Polis – citing gun control – and put them on TV.

“If you won’t compete, if you won’t’ talk about your opponents’ differences, then you can’t be governor,” Welchert said.

He said Polis proved to be a harder fighter and debater than he had expected.

“I think the Polis-Stapleton debates will be informative, I’ll say that,” Welchert said.

Floyd Ciruli, director of the Crossley Center, moderated the two-hour discussion on candidates and issues. He said polls and the decisions by both national parties to withdraw money from the 6th Congressional District race suggest Coffman, the five-term incumbent, also might be in deep trouble as a blue wave gathers.

As with Stapleton, national events could overtake his candidacy. He said the race would have little directly to do with Coffman or his challenger, Democrat Jason Crow, and more to do with Trump and the energy on the left.

“He’s no doubt in trouble, Mr. Coffman, but to say he’s going to lose, I still think is very difficult, because of the amazing ability he’s had to survive in difficult years.”