A new poll from Suffolk University shows Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R) is leading Congresswoman Val Demings (D-FL-10) in a hypothetical head-to-head matchup. The in-dept look at the data shows Rubio leads Demings in most demographics, except black Floridians.
“In the race for United States Senate, incumbent Senator Marco Rubio (49%) leads Congresswoman Val Demings (41%) with 10% undecided. Rubio enjoys wider margins over Demings among men (57%-37%), white voters (56%-37%), and Hispanic voters (53%-33%), while Demings heavily carries Black voters (71%-16%), the poll said. “Demings trails partly due to a name recognition problem. Among all voters, 29% had never heard of her and 29% had heard her name but not formed an opinion. However, Demings leads Rubio (51%-42%) among those familiar with both candidates.”
David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center in Boston, called it a “longshot bid” for Demings.
“On the surface, it looks like a longshot bid for Val Demings, who trails by 8 points with just 10% undecided,” Paleologos said. “But the familiar-with-both candidates data point suggests that as Demings introduces herself to more voters, her deficit could narrow, giving her the potential to flip the seat.”
In an email with The Florida Capital Star, the Rubio team said the bigger picture is Rubio’s effort to combat the President Joe Biden administration’s “socialist agenda.”
“Poll numbers will fluctuate throughout the cycle but what never changes is Senator Rubio’s commitment to putting in the work on behalf of Floridians,” said Elizabeth Gregory, communications director for Rubio’s campaign. “Senator Rubio remains focused on passing principled legislation to improve the lives of Floridians while holding the Biden administration accountable for poor leadership and blocking the advancement of the Democrats’ socialist agenda.”
Just in the last few days, Demings touted that she raised over $7 million in the last few months of 2021 and exceeded Rubio’s numbers. However, Rubio still maintains the on-hand dollar amount lead with over $12 million.
The poll also contained data regarding a 2024 hypothetical presidential election, and the poll indicated that either former President Donald Trump or Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) would defeat President Joe Biden.
– – –
Grant Holcomb is a reporter at The Florida Capital Star and The Star News Network. Follow Grant on Twitter and direct message tips.
