Headed into election season, President Barack Obama, who carried Florida twice, gets good marks in a new poll of the Sunshine State while the Republican governor is also moving up.
Quinnipiac University took a poll which finds a majority of Florida voters--54 percent--approve of Obama while 42 percent disapprove of him, his highest marks in almost four years. A vast majority of Republicans --81 percent--disapprove of Obama but 94 percent of Democrats approve of him. Voters outside the major parties break his way 53 percent to 43 percent.
There is a major division on Obama when it comes to age. Voters younger than 35 back Obama with 72 percent approving of him and 21 percent disapproving of him. But Obama’s upside down with seniors with 56 percent disapproving of him while 41 percent approve of him.
There’s also a racial divide over Obama as well. A majority of white voters--55 percent--disapprove of Obama while 44 percent approve of him. But more than three quarters of non-white voters--78 percent--approve of Obama while 16 percent disapprove of him.
Rick Scott almost breaks even in the poll with 43 percent approving of the governor while 46 percent disapprove of him. Most Republicans--73 percent--approve of the governor while 15 percent disapprove of him. Democrats go against Scott with 77 percent disapproving of him while 14 percent approve of him. Voters outside the major parties are far more divided with 47 percent disapproving of the governor and 44 percent approving of Scott.
“Surprisingly, Republican Gov. Rick Scott...is enjoying some Florida sunshine," said Peter Brown, the assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll, on Wednesday. "Scott has spent most of his six years as governor with negative approval ratings. In this survey he is just about even."
Democrat Bill Nelson, whose third term in the Senate ends in 2018, is in good shape according to the poll with 52 percent approving of him and 22 percent disapproving of him. Democrats like the senior senator from Florida with 68 percent approving of him and 11 percent disapproving. Nelson also gets good marks from voters outside the major parties with 52 percent approving of him and 23 percent disapproving of him. Surprisingly, Nelson is slightly ahead with Republicans with 36 percent approving of him and 35 percent disapproving of the Democrat.
The poll of 975 Florida voters was taken from June 8-June 19 and had a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percent.
