Though his lead has dropped a few points since last month’s survey, Denver District Attorney Bill Ritter (D) still maintains a comfortable, double-digit, advantage in Colorado’s gubernatorial contest. The latest Rasmussen Reports election survey shows Ritter leading Republican Bob Beauprez 51% to 39% (see crosstabs).

Ritter’s lead was 16 points in last month’s survey. His numbers climbed a point since September while Beauprez gained five.

Strong base support and crossover appeal are working in Ritter’s favor. Eighty-seven percent (87%) of Democrats and 20% of Republicans say they’re supporting Ritter. Seventy percent (70%) of GOP voters and 7% of Democrats favor Beauprez.

Seventy percent (70%) of Colorado voters surveyed report following the developing story about former Congressman Mark Foley closely—one-third (33%) say they’re following the news “very closely.” Although the story is capturing voters’ attention, 62% say it will not influence their votes this fall.

Colorado voters are evenly divided on the question of whether inappropriate relationships between members of Congress and their staffs are common—41% believe they are and 41% say they’re not. Eighteen percent (18%) aren’t sure.

Forty-four percent (44%) rate the Republican leadership’s handling of the Foley situation as “poor.” Just 9% rate the GOP’s response as “excellent.” In spite of this clear dichotomy, when asked how Democratic leaders would have fared had Foley been a Democrat, 47% say “about the same.”

President Bush’s overall approval numbers are fairly close—54% disapprove of the president’s job performance and 45% disapprove. The wider gap exists when looking at the extreme ends of the continuum. Twenty-seven percent (27%) say they “strongly approve” and 45% report strong disapproval.

Crosstabs are available for Premium Members only.