Musgrave increases lead over Paccione

Musgrave received 48 percent of the vote; Paccione took 38 percent; Eidsness of the Reform Party claimed 10 percent, according to the results.Four percent of the voters were undecided, the survey said. The results of the poll were released on Wednesday, with only twenty days remaining in the race.Musgrave, who led by 4 points earlier in the race, extended her lead in the latest poll.According to survey results, Musgrave leads by 22 points among male voters, which was a 14-point improvement from the last poll, released four weeks ago.However, women are evenly divided between the two candidates, according to results.Musgrave leads by 67 points among Republican voters.Paccione leads by 66 points among Democrat voters, down from 79.Paccione leads by 14 points among independents.Republicans have a 20-point advantage over Democrats in the 4th Congressional District in likely voters, the survey said.Eidness took 20 percent of the independent vote, the poll said.The survey said Paccione runs strongly among the most educated voters and the highest-income voters.Musgrave leads 12 to one among those who approve of George W. Bush's performance in office, results said.Paccione leads five to one among those who disapprove of President Bush, the survey said.President Bush's approval rating in the district is at 47 percent, which is above the national average.According to the poll, interest in the race has also picked up. Sixty-five percent of voters said they would likely vote in the race, up from 56 percent four weeks ago.Democrats say they have targeted Musgrave, who was first elected to Congress in 2002, as they attempt to re-capture control of the U.S. House.The data was collected by surveying 900 adults from Colorado's 4th Congressional District between October 15 and October 17. Of those polled, 781 were registered voters and 509 were judged "likely" to vote.The information gained in the poll only reflects the opinions of "likely" voters.