Quinnipiac University's latest poll, released Thursday, finds that despite decades on the political stage, Floridians give mixed reviews to U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson -- up for a third term in 2012.
The poll finds that the recent deal over raising the federal debt ceiling hurt Nelson. In a poll taken from July 27-31, before the deal was reached, 45 percent of those surveyed approved of Nelsons performance while 33 percent disapproved. In a poll taken on Aug. 1 and 2, after the deal was reached, only 42 percent approve of Nelson while those who disapprove rises to 35 percent.
This is a step back for Nelson from a poll released by Quinnipiac on May 26, when a majority of Floridians approved of the Democrat. At that time, 51 percent approved of Nelson compared to 24 percent who disapproved.
Despite these numbers, Nelson has a solid lead over an unnamed Republican challenger. After the debt ceiling deal was reached, Nelson took 46 percent while the generic Republican took 35 percent.
The poll finds Republicans remain unsure on who they want to take Nelson on in 2012. Despite Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, exiting the race, 53 percent of the Republicans polled remain undecided on who they want to nominate. Mike McCalister, a retired Army officer and businessman who took more than 10 percent in the 2010 Republican gubernatorial primary, leads the pack with 15 percent. Former U.S. Sen. George LeMieux is in second with 12 percent. Businessman Craig Miller, who announced last month that he is running, stands in third place with 8 percent, followed by former state House Majority Leader Adam Hasner at 6 percent.
Unlike his colleague in the Senate, freshman Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio enjoyed a small bounce in the poll after the debt ceiling agreement was reached. While 45 percent of those surveyed said they approved of Rubios performance before the deal, 49 percent said they approved of it after the deal was reached. Thirty-five percent say they disapproved of Rubio before the deal compared to 36 percent after it was reached.
The poll of 674 registered voters was taken July 27-31, before the deal was reached, and had a margin of error of +/- 3.8 percent. The poll of 743 registered voters was taken Aug. 1-2, after the deal was agreed to, and had a margin of error of +/- 3.6 percent. The total poll of 1,417 registered voters was taken July 27-Aug. 2, included 510 Republicans, and has a margin of error of +/- 4.3 percent.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
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