Scott Powers of the Orlando Sentinel recently released an article detailing the fact that Charlie Christ is now holding a 9% lead in the polls over Gov. Rick Scott. He wrote:
One year out from the 2014 state election, Republican-turned-Democrat former Gov. Charlie Crist holds a 10-point lead over current Republican Gov. Rick Scott in a head-to-head match-up according to a new poll by Gravis Marketing of Winter Springs.
In the same poll, a strong majority of voters are saying they are undecided when asked to choose between incumbent Republican Attorney General Pam Bondi and either of the two Democrats running to oppose her, George Sheldon or Perry Thurston. For both of the potential Democratic nominees for attorney general, the Florida population has a “Who are they?” opinion, with more than 90 percent saying they don’t know. Bondi has double-digit leads on either of them but is far from gaining 50 percent herself.
The Crist-Scott matchup, which would happen if Crist defeats former state Sen. Nan Rich in a Democratic primary, appear fueled partly by a still-strong disapproval rating for Scott and an assumption by many voters that Crist better understands average Floridians better.
“Both (Crist and Scott) are doing well with their parties but the independent [vote] is the key,” said Gravis managing partner Doug Kaplan.
Crist leads among independents 51-30. “Crist is killing him with independents,” Kaplan said.
The poll also found a slight advantage for people who favor medical marijuana, not enough to support the 60-percent yes vote needed to adopt a proposed constitutional amendment. Similar support was found for gay marriage and more restrictive gun rights and opposition for Obamacare.
And if both were running for president today, former First Lady, U.S. senator and secretary of state Hillary Clinton, a Democrat, would have a four-point advantage over Florida favorite-son Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio.
The poll was conducted Nov. 8-10 with robocalls, by Human Events and Gravis Marketing. They surveyed a random sample of 932 registered Florida voters. The poll carries a margin of error of 3%.
For the full article, please visit the Orlando Sentinel Website at: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/blogs/political-pulse/os-poll-gives-crist-10-point-lead-over-scott-20131114,0,4654552.post