Jane Norton, Republican former lieutenant governor under Bill Owens and current U.S. Senate candidate, is leaving liberal Democrats Michael Bennet and Andrew Romanoff in a Haiti-like heap. From Rasmussen Reports:

A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely voters in Colorado finds the top Republican candidate with a 12-point lead over Bennet, 49% to 37%. Three percent (3%) like some other candidate, and 11% remain undecided.

The results are little changed if Bennet is defeated in the state’s Democratic Primary by former state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff. In a match-up with Romanoff, Norton also leads by 12 points, 47% to 35%. Five percent (5%) prefer another candidate, and 14% are undecided.

This is a slight increase in Norton’s lead over Bennet from a survey last month. At that time, she was ahead of the current senator 46% to 37% and led Romanoff 45% to 34%. Those findings were virtually identical to the ones in a survey in September.

Such solid numbers for Norton and against all Democratic comers should help convince Romanoff, an overeducated out-of-stater and former speaker of the Colorado State House, to drop his floundering campaign against Bennet, an overeducated out-of-stater and former superintendent of Denver Public Schools.

Hilariously, even second-tier Republican candidates Tom Wiens, a former state senator, and Ken Buck, Weld County's district attorney, who were even with the donkeys only a month ago, now easily defeat the tax-and-spenders:

Former State Senator Tom Wiens now leads Bennet 44% to 38% and Romanoff 44% to 39%.

Ken Buck, a country district attorney, is ahead of Bennet 43% to 38% and essentially tied with Romanoff 40% to 39%.

In all four of these races, approximately five percent (5%) of Colorado voters prefer another candidate and 15% are undecided.

In other words, this is looking like a complete reversal of 2006's governor's race -- only 10 months earlier -- and the impetus seems to be the Democratic health-care boondoggle:

Both Democrats appear stuck for now in the mid- to upper 30s, and one possible explanation may be the continuing debate over the national health care plan, which Bennet supports. Forty-one percent (41%) of Colorado voters support the plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats, while 53% oppose it. Nineteen percent (19%) strongly favor the plan, while 47% strongly oppose it. These findings are comparable to voter sentiments nationwide.

And, lest Bennet or Romanoff -- or any Democrats, for that matter -- hold out hope for the metro soccer-mom vote, that, too, is redder than Romanoff's nose:

All four of the Republican candidates lead their Democratic rivals among male voters, but Norton is the lone GOP hopeful who also has a double-digit lead among women voters and among those not affiliated with either of the major political parties.

Of course, this is early, but with Norton's numbers expected to remain strong -- in polls and cash -- and Democrats expected to become weaker by the day, the Democratic surge in Colorado seems to be over.