A new poll shows Floridas two U.S. senators are in solid shape with the voters, even as one of them is near to launching a bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016.
Qunnipiac University released a poll on Tuesday which shows Florida voters are, for the moment, behind both U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who is mulling over a presidential effort.
The poll finds Nelson, currently in his third term and up before the voters again in 2018, in fine shape with 43 percent approving of him and 26 percent disapproving of him. But, despite his four decades in political life, almost a third of those surveyed were not sure what they thought of Nelson.
Rubio gets the approval of 47 percent while 35 percent of those surveyed disapprove of him. The poll shows voters have clearer impressions of Rubio than they do Nelson as only 18 percent of those surveyed are unsure of how they feel about the Republican senator.
Looking ahead to 2016, when Rubio would up for a second term in the Senate, 44 percent think he deserves another term while 37 percent say he does not. Rubio has said he will not run for a second term if he decides to run for the presidency.
"U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio's decision about running for the White House will have a major effect on the Senate race, said Peter Brown, the assistant director of the Quinnipiac University poll, on Tuesday. The numbers show that he is in good, but not great, shape for re-election with voters and has a positive image with them.
Brown said if Rubio decides to opt out of the Senate, Florida voters can expect a wild contest to replace him.
If he does not seek a second term, his open Senate seat will become a major prize and the subject of a massive free-for-all among both parties, Brown said.
The poll of 936 Florida voters was taken from Jan. 22--Feb. 1 and had a margin of error of +/- 3.2 percent.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
