Regardless of which Republican challenger emerges from Arizona’s September 12th primary as the official gubernatorial candidate, incumbent Gov. Janet Napolitano is firmly in charge of her re-election bid. The latest Rasmussen Reports election survey shows Napolitano leading Don Goldwater 55% to 32% and Len Munsil 52% to 33%. (See crosstabs)

These numbers represent a slight rebound for the governor in a head-to-head match up with Goldwater. She led in that contest 52% to 37% in last month’s survey. She’s dropped a point against Munsil during the same time period, but he’s dropped two; July’s survey showed her ahead 53% to 35%.

The majority of voters (50%) view Napolitano as politically moderate; 37% say she’s liberal; and 7% see her as conservative.

Thirty-three percent (33%) of voters say they have a “very favorable” opinion of Napolitano. Only 9% can say the same of Goldwater and 12% for Munsil. At the other extreme, the candidates are nearly equal on “very unfavorable” rankings. Napolitano captures that opinion from 14% of those surveyed; Goldwater from 12%; and Munsil from 15%.

When it comes to job approval scores, Napolitano is in step with another well-known Republican—President Bush. Thirty-two percent (32%) of voters say they “strongly approve” of Napolitano’s job performance as governor and 31% say the same of President Bush’s handling of the Oval Office. However, the two diverge greatly when it comes to disapproval. Sixteen percent (16%) of respondents say they “strongly disapprove” of Napolitano’s job performance, compared to 42% for President Bush.

Bush does manage to come out on top—though by slim margins—on issues of importance to Arizona’s voters. When asked who they trust more on matters relating to national security and the war in Iraq, 48% of respondents choose Bush and 42% say the Democrats in Congress. Asking the same question about managing the economy, Bush again earns approval from 48% of those surveyed and 43% choose the Congressional Democrats.

Forty-five percent (45%) of respondents say the U.S. and its allies are winning the war on terror; 35% say the terrorists are winning; and 18% say neither side has the advantage. Twelve percent (12%) rate the economy as “excellent” versus 19% who say it is “poor.”

Crosstabs are available to Premium Members.