Republican Jeff Atwater holds an almost-insurmountable lead in the race for state chief financial officer, according to a new Sunshine State News Poll.
Atwater, the outgoing state Senate president, led former state Rep. Loranne Ausley 50-38 in the nightly tracking poll conducted Oct. 16-17. Seven percent of respondents favored "someone else/other" (two No Party Affiliation candidates are in the race) and 5 percent were undecided.
The survey shows Atwater and Ausley each gaining 2 percentage points since daily tracking began Oct. 6, while the "other" category shrank by 4 points.
Though the CFO office is a relatively obscure position, the campaign has been marked by tough attack ads from Ausley, who vows to "clean up the mess in Tallahassee" and targets Atwater personally.
So far, those ads haven't dented Atwater's lead, and Brian Hughes, a spokesman for the North Palm Beach Republican, suggested that the public isn't buying the message.
"Ausley's almost total use of negative campaigning is seen for what it is -- desperate," Hughes said.
While saying the GOP campaign is "cautiously optimistic," Hughes said Atwater "remains focused on a single thing: his vision for getting the Florida economy back on its feet."
Ausley spokesman Kevin Cate said, "Loranne Ausley is focused on holding politicians like Jeff Atwater accountable for the mess in Tallahassee, not on the poll of the day.
"When voters get into the ballot booth, they will have a clear choice between a proven fighter with a plan to clean up the mess in Tallahassee, and Jeff Atwater, who raised their taxes, spent lavishly, and ignored laws that regulate lobbyists."
Meantime, the poll indicates that Atwater's domination cuts across most demographic lines. He locks up 82 percent of the GOP vote while Ausley garners only 74 percent of Democrats. Atwater captures 49 percent of independents vs. Ausley's 28 percent. He also leads the Tallahassee Democrat in the state's North, Central and South media markets.
Among ethnic groups, Atwater is favored by whites (55-34) and by an even larger margin among Hispanics (63-29). Ausley enjoys the usual lopsided Democratic Party edge among African-Americans, 77-8.
Atwater is favored by both men (55-34) and women (46-41).
The CFO office is currently held by Alex Sink, who is running as the Democratic candidate for governor. It is the lone Cabinet-level position occupied by a Democrat.
The Sunshine State News Poll, conducted by Voter Survey Service for Sunshine State News, surveyed 1,723 likely voters statewide. The margin of error was +/- 2.36 percent.
Click below to see the crosstabs for this poll.
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Reach Kenric Ward at kward@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 801-5341.
