Rasmussen: Romney Closes Gap on Obama in Colorado

The Colorado presidential race remains neck-and-neck as President Obama moves slightly ahead of Mitt Romney for the first time this year.

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Colorado Voters shows the president with 49 percent of the vote to Romney’s 48 percent. One percent prefers some other candidate, and two percent are undecided.

Romney held a 47 percent to 45 percent edge on the president last month in Colorado. The two men were tied at 45 percent in July and 47 percent in August.

Colorado remains a Toss-Up in the Rasmussen Reports Electoral College Projections. Obama and Romney run even nationally in the Daily Presidential Tracking Poll.

Eighty-four percent of Likely Colorado voters are already certain how they will vote. Sixteen percent say they still could change their minds. The candidates are tied at 50 percent each among voters who are certain of their vote. Among voters who could still change their minds, the president is ahead 42 percent to 38 percent.

Colorado voters are almost evenly divided when it comes to which candidate they trust more to handle the economy: 48 percent trust Romney more, while 47 percent have more faith in the president.

When it comes to national security issues, 49 percent trust the president more, while 47 percent have more confidence in his Republican challenger.

The survey of 500 Likely Voters in Colorado was conducted on October 7, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4.5 percentage points with a 95 percent level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Just 12 percent of Colorado voters view the U.S. economy as good or excellent, while 44 percent rate it as poor. Forty-one percent say economic conditions are getting better, but 39 percent think they are getting worse.

Forty-eight percent rate their personal finances as good or excellent, while 10 percent say their finances are poor. Thirty-two percent say their finances are getting better, but just as many 31 percent think their finances are getting worse.

The president is way ahead among voters in the state who rate the economy as good or excellent, while Romney holds a big lead among voters who view the economy as poor.

However, 43 percent believe the economy will get better if Obama is reelected and Democrats regain control of Congress, compared to 48 percent who expect a better economy is Romney and the Republicans come out on top this election.

Forty-four percent believe the economy will get worse if Obama is reelected and Democrats are in control. Just 37 percent say the same would happen if Romney is elected and Republicans win control of Congress.

Obama defeated Republican John McCain 54 percent to 45 percent in Colorado in the 2008 election. Fifty-two percent of voters in the state at least somewhat approve of the job Obama is doing as president. Forty-six percent disapprove.

These figures include Strong Approval from 27 percent and Strong Disapproval from 39 percent, comparable to the president's job approval ratings nationally.

Romney is veiwed favorably by 49 percent of Colorado voters and unfavorably by 50 percent, with Very Favorables of 33 percent and Very Unfavorables of 36 percent.

The GOP challenger leads the president 52 percent to 45 percent among male voters in the state but trails 54 percent to 43 percent among female voters.
Obama now leads by 18 points among voters not affiliated with either of the major parties.

Along with Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Missouri, New Hampshire, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, and Wisconsin are Toss-Ups. Romney leads in Arizona, Indiana, Montana, and North Dakota. Obama is ahead in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Washington.

Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, who assumed office last year, remains popular among voters in the state. Sixty percent (60 percent) at least somewhat approve of the job he is doing as governor, while 33 percent disapprove. This includes Strong Approval from 23 percent and 10 percent who Strongly Disapprove.