A new poll shows Gov. Rick Scott with the lead over U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., in what is expected to be one of the most closely watched elections in the country come November
The Saint Leo University Polling Institute released a poll of Florida voters on Tuesday showing Scott with 40 percent while Nelson trials with 34 percent while 8 percent back other candidates and 18 percent remain undecided. Scott’s lead over Nelson in the poll stands outside the margin of error.
Frank Orlando, the director of the Saint Leo University Polling Institute and a political scientist at that university, said the Democrat could be in trouble especially as his organization’s polls have consistently shown Scott ahead.
"Governor Scott has consistently held an advantage over Senator Nelson in our polling, so the concern from Democrats nationally about losing in Florida is justified,” Orlando said on Tuesday. “Governor Scott has maintained his popularity over the past year, which makes him a formidable opponent for Nelson.”
Orlando also noted that Democrats might not be able to score points by connecting Scott with President Donald Trump.
“The hope among Democrats is that President Donald Trump's lack of popularity will drag Scott down,” Orlando said. “The issue is that Trump's approval has been in the mid- to upper-40s in Florida for a while. If that rating doesn't drop, it's probably not enough to drag Scott down. Nelson is definitely behind...it's still a long way to November."
The poll also shows a majority of those surveyed--59 percent--see Scott’s work in Tallahassee favorably while 33 percent view it unfavorably and 8 percent are not sure.
The poll of 506 Florida voters was taken from May 25-May 31 and had a margin of error of +/- 4.5 percent.
