Florida Democrats can expect a close statewide primary next month -- and it's not just the one to determine who challenges Gov. Rick Scott in November, either.
According to a poll from Gravis Marketing and conservative magazine Human Events released over the weekend, former Gov. Charlie Crist, a former Republican who joined the Democrats in December 2012, is holding a commanding lead over former Florida Senate Democratic Leader Nan Rich for next months primary to see who will face off against Scott.
After winning three statewide offices as a Republican, Crist left the GOP to run for the U.S. Senate in 2010 with no party affiliation after being caught by tea party favorite Marco Rubio in the primary.
The poll finds Crist takes 68 percent of likely Democratic primary voters, while Rich is far behind with 20 percent. With a month to go, 12 percent remain undecided.
Crist has refused to debate Rich during the primary battle, instead electing to focus his efforts on Scott.
Unless Charlie Crist makes any serious mistakes between now and the primary, then he essentially has this race locked up, Gravis insisted in the release.
While the poll shows Crist blowing out Rich, it finds Democrats are undecided in the race to see who challenges Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi in November.
The overwhelming majority of likely Democratic primary voters surveyed -- 67 percent -- remain unsure of who they will vote for to challenge Bondi.
Former DCF Secretary George Sheldon, who ran for attorney general in 2002 after serving as then-Attorney General Bob Butterworths deputy, takes 18 percent in the poll. Florida House Minority Leader Perry Thurston, D-Fort Lauderdale, gets 15 percent.
The race is a clear tossup. With a whopping two-thirds of the respondents unsure of who to vote for, the race is clearly up for grabs, said Doug Kaplan of Gravis.
The primary will be held on Aug. 26.
The poll also found President Barack Obama remains popular with Florida Democrats, which is a stark contrast to how he performs with other voters in the Sunshine State. Three-quarters of Florida Democrats (75 percent) approve of Obamas performance in the White House while only 14 percent disapprove of it.
The poll of 792 likely Democratic primary voters was taken July 23-24 and had a margin of error of +/- 4 percent.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinDerbySSN.
