Florida Poll: Crist Cruising In GOP Primary
A new Mason Dixon poll of Florida voters shows that Gov. Charlie Crist (R) has a solid early lead in the race for his party's nomination for the U.S. Senate.
Republican Primary Matchup
Crist 53
Rubio 18
Undecided 29
Former House Speaker Marco Rubio had announced for the seat prior to Crist, and has much lower name recognition in the Sunshine State. Among likely Republican primary voters, 50 percent had a favorable impression of Crist, compared to 19 percent unfavorable. Rubio's ratio was 20/2, with another 56 percent saying they did not recognize him.
In the Democratic race, Rep. Kendrick Meek (D) maintains an early edge over state Sen. Dan Gelber.
Democratic Primary Matchup
Meek 26
Gelber 16
Undecided 58
In early general election matchups, Crist defeats either Democrat.
General Election Matchup
Crist 55
Meek 24
Undecided 21
Crist 57
Gelber 22
Undecided 21
Each party sample size was 300 likely primary voters, with a margin of error of +/- 6%. The general election matchups are taken from a survey of 625 registered voters, with a margin of error of +/- 4 percent.
After the jump, an early look at numbers in the gubernatorial race, with the field only now coming together.
Attorney General Bill McCollum has already declared, while state Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson has not made it official yet. Mason Dixon also tested former Gov. Jeb Bush, who has said he will not run.
Gubernatorial Primary Election Matchup
McCollum 39
Bronson 12
Undecided 49
Bush 64
McCollum 13
Bronson 2
Undecided 21
Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink is likely to face no major opposition in the Democratic primary. She leads Bronson, but trails McCollum in early general election matchups.
General Election Matchup
McCollum 40
Sink 34
Undecided 26
Sink 37
Bronson 29
Undecided 34
Notably, the poll sample skewed Democratic: 43 percent of respondents, compared to 38 percent Republican and 19 percent independent.