A new poll from Florida Atlantic University (FAU) shows a close contest for the Republican gubernatorial nomination while U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham, D-Fla., has a commanding lead in the Democratic primary.
FAU’s Business and Economics Polling Initiative (BEPI). released a poll on Tuesday afternoon showing U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., with 32 percent and state Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam with 31 percent. Veteran BRUCE Nathan, who ran for the U.S. Senate in 2016, gets 4 percent while businessman Don Baldauf takes 3 percent. Bob White, who leads the Republican Liberty Caucus of Florida, and Tim Devine each pull 2 percent while 5 percent back other candidates.
A large segment of the Republicans surveyed--22 percent--remain undecided with a week to go until the primary next Tuesday.
Kevin Wagner, a professor of political science at FAU, said Putnam had bounced back after DeSantis moved past him when he reeled in President Donald Trump’s endorsement.
“Adam Putnam appears to have regained some of his footing in the gubernatorial race,” Wagner said. “The difference may be which candidate is better able to turnout their supporters in the next week.”
On the Democratic side, the poll shows Graham in good shape. More than quarter of Florida Democrats--29 percent--back Graham while former Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine, her nearest rival, gets 17 percent. Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum and billionaire Jeff Greene are knotted together in third with 11 percent apiece while Central Florida businessman Chris King gets 10 percent while 3 percent back other candidates. Almost a fifth of Florida Democrats--19 percent--remain undecided with a week to go.
“One factor driving Graham’s lead is her support among females,” said Monica Escaleras, the director of the BEPI. “As the only female candidate, she leads the field with 32 percent of the female vote. Males also support her, but to a lesser degree at 25 percent.”
The survey, which polled 800 Florida registered voters Aug. 16-20, was conducted using an online sample supplied by Survey Sampling International using online questionnaires and via an automated telephone platform (IVR) using registered voter lists supplied by Aristotle, Inc. The survey has a margin of error of +/- 3.4 percentage points. The margin of error for likely voters in the Republican primary is +/- 6.5 percentage points. The margin of error for likely voters in the Democratic primary is +/- 6.3 percentage points.
