TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A post-debate poll of Florida voter attitudes conducted by the University of North Florida showed Gov. Ron DeSantis with a “comfortable lead” in his race for reelection against former U.S. Congressman Charlie Crist.
According to the poll, and analysis by the university, DeSantis’ lead over Crist was as high as 14 points ahead. For the Florida gubernatorial race, UNF reported their survey respondents were split 55% – 41% voting for DeSantis or Crist, with 4% undecided.
University political science professor and UNF Public Opinion Research Lab Director Dr. Michael Bender said his lead was not a surprise, due to his “historic fundraising and popularity among Republicans.” The real shock was the size of the gap.
“The surprise in these numbers is that a statewide race in Florida is closer to a blowout than a recount,” Binder said.
Across the board, survey respondents were more likely to vote for Republican candidates for the November midterms, including in the races for U.S. Senate and Florida Attorney General.
The likely voters surveyed by UNF had a slightly smaller lead for current U.S. Senator Marco Rubio against Democratic challenger Val Demings, at 54% – 43%, while the race for Florida AG had incumbent Ashley Moody 14 points over Aramis Ayala, her Democratic opponent.
The closest race, in terms of data from those in the survey, was for Florida’s Agriculture Commissioner, which had state Sen. Wilton Simpson taking home 44% of the respondents’ support, compared to challenger Naoiomi Esther Blemur’s 39%.
Seventeen percent of respondents said they either didn’t know who they wanted to vote for or would not answer.
“The Attorney General and Agricultural Commissioner races are a little less exciting for most folks, and these tend to go down party lines,” Binder said. “As is the case with a lot of these races, the outcome will largely come down to who turns out the most voters – Republicans or Democrats – and it looks like Republicans are going to win that fight.”
