Things look troubling for Gov. Rick Scott as he enters his re-election year. According to a new Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday, the governor is trailing former governor Charlie Crist by 7 points and more than half of Floridians believe Scott doesnt deserve to be re-elected.
But theres a silver lining to the Q-poll: Crists lead has been narrowing since March.
In earlier surveys, Crist led Scott by higher numbers. In a June 18 survey by the independent university, the Republican-turned-independent-turned Democrat led Scott 47 percent to 37 percent. In March, Crist had a lead of 50 percent to 34 percent.
The poll released Wednesday showed Crists lead getting smaller -- he leads Scott by 47 percent to 40 percent.
When it comes to the job Scott is doing as governor, the governor received mostly negative reviews. Scott received a 42-to-47 percent approval rating compared to his highest score ever of 43-to-44 percent in March.
When asked about the job Crist did as governor, more than half of voters -- 53 percent -- approved, while a little over a third -- 36 percent -- said they disapproved.
The poll indicates Rick Scott may have trouble come 2014 because more than half of voters believe he doesnt deserve to be re-elected.
Thirty-seven percent said Scott deserves to be re-elected, with a majority of Democrats -- 83 percent -- saying no to four more years of Scotts leadership. Independent voters are more closely split, with 56 percent saying Scott shouldnt have a second go at his job and 36 percent saying he should.
Most Republicans -- 70 percent -- said Scott should be re-elected.
Former Governor Charlie Crist remains ahead in the race to be the state's next governor, buthis lead over incumbent Governor Rick Scott has narrowed since March, said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.
But Crist still does better among Democrats than Scott does among Republicans and holds his own among independents. The winner will be the one who does best among his ownpartisans and carries independents.
Voters are evenly split on whether they consider Crists party shifts a positive or a negative.
When it boils down to it, the poll indicates Scott will have to dog Crist as someone that was a bad governor and one who lacks core values to get a second term.
Voters currently think Crist was a good governor and are evenly split on whether theysee his party-switching as evidence he is a pragmatist or lacks core beliefs, Brown said. Tocatch Crist, Scott is going to have to convince Florida voters that Crist was a bad governor and a political opportunist.
Scotts got a lot of money in his campaign already to make the ads happen: the governor is expected to spend over $100 million in his bid for re-election.
He is planning on spending tens of millions of dollars on television adds to makethat argument," Brown continued. "This will be an intensely negative campaign on both sides. The survivor will bethe candidate voters dislike least on Election Day.
