A Rasmussen Reports poll released Wednesday shows the two leading Republicans running for governor fare very differently when pitted against Democratic front-runner Alex Sink, the state CFO -- with health-care executive Rick Scott leading Sink and Attorney General Bill McCollum trailing the Democrat.
The poll finds Scott receiving the backing of 35 percent of those surveyed, with Sink winning 31 percent and independent Bud Chiles taking 16 percent. Other candidates receive a total of 6 percent, while 12 percent of Floridians remain undecided.
The poll reveals that Sink leads when McCollum is the Republican nominee. Sink remains at 31 percent but McCollum underperforms Scott, taking 27 percent. Chiles does better in this scenario, garnering 20 percent support. Other candidates pull 8 percent, while 13 percent of Floridians are undecided.
Rasmussen did not include Chiles in its last poll in June and it appears that he is drawing from both the Democrats and the Republicans. In June, Rasmussen had Scott ahead of Sink, 45 to 40 percent. McCollum carried 40 percent to Sinks 38 percent in June.
The new poll finds that Floridians are starting to develop opinions of the candidates.
With McCollum and Scott attacking each other in what has become a bitter primary fight, more Floridians see both Republican candidates in very unfavorable terms rather than very favorable ones. While 16 percent of Floridians see Scott very favorably, 31 percent see him very unfavorably. Despite his three decades holding office in the Sunshine State, only 6 percent see McCollum very favorably while 23 percent see him very unfavorably.
Sink, who faces a less serious challenge for the Democratic nomination and has not yet been attacked the way the Republican candidates have, is seen very favorably by 14 percent and very unfavorably by 9 percent.
Chiles is viewed very favorably by 8 percent, while 10 percent see the independent candidate as very unfavorable.
The poll also offers a snapshot as to where Floridians think their candidates stand. More than 50 percent of Floridians see Scott and McCollum as conservatives. Floridians are more divided on where Sink stands, with 36 percent saying she is a moderate, 25 percent a liberal and 16 percent a conservative. Floridians are even more unfamiliar with Chiles. Thirty-one percent of those polled peg him as a moderate, while 17 percent see him as a liberal and another 17 percent see him as a conservative.
The poll of 750 Florida voters was taken by Rasmussen on Aug. 2 and has a margin of error of +/- 4.5 percent.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
