According to a new poll, Republicans running for governor and U.S. Senate in Florida are dramatically leading their potential Democratic opponents in the upcoming midterm elections.
Specifically, Governor Ron DeSantis leads both notable Democrats that are running to challenge him for his position.
Based on the survey, conducted by the University of North Florida, the incumbent leads Democrat Nikki Fried by more than 20 points. He gained 55 percent of the support, compared to her 32 percent. 10 percent of the individuals analyzed were undecided on their decision.
Similar margins existed for DeSantis against Democrat Charlie Crist. Crist took in 34 percent, a slight increase from Fried, but did not match the 55 percent gathered by the incumbent.
While not boasting the same margins as DeSantis, Senator Marco Rubio holds a decent lead over Congresswoman Val Demings, the leading contender for the Democratic nomination.
Rubio took in 46 percent of the total vote. Demings only brought in 34 percent, a 12-point gap below the Republican. A larger number, 17 percent, have not made a decision on the race.
The Florida Capital Star reported that other polls have shown similar results:
“Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is outperforming his likely Democratic challengers in a hypothetical head-to-head general election. According to the poll, DeSantis would defeat Congressman Charlie Crist (D-FL-13) 50.6-44.8 percent. DeSantis would also defeat Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried (D) 51.2-42.3 percent,” a report on St. Pete polls said.
“In the likely 2022 Florida Senate race between Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Congresswoman Val Demings (D-FL-10), Rubio also fares well by taking 51 percent of the vote compared to Demings 44.3 percent.”
Notably, the new poll details that DeSantis may pose a risk to former President Trump for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, if both individuals elect to run. In Florida, the governor would beat Trump by 3 points, a 44 to 41 percent margin.
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Cooper Moran is a reporter for The Florida Capital Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
Background Photo “Voting Booths” by Tim Evanson. CC BY-SA 2.0.
