The new Quinnipiac poll of the Florida gubernatorial race shows Republican nominee Rick Scott taking the lead over Democrat Alex Sink. This appears to be thanks to two main factors: Rick Scott’s massive self-financed advertising — and President Obama’s unpopularity.
The numbers: Scott 49%, Sink 43%. The survey of likely voters has a ±2.9% margin of error. In the previous Quinnipiac poll from mid-August, shortly before the Republican primary, Sink had 33%, Scott 29%, plus 12% for independent Bud Chiles — who later dropped out and endorsed Sink.
The TPM Poll Average gives Scott a lead of 46.8%-44.3%.
From the pollster’s analysis:
“Rick Scott’s millions in TV advertising may annoy voters, but it won him the Republican nomination and is pushing him to a 6-point general election lead,” said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.
“It’s no surprise that Scott’s campaigning and advertising has been trying to tie State CFO Alex Sink to President Barack Obama. The president’s low ratings, especially among independents who are likely to decide the governor’s race, are a problem for Ms. Sink’s campaign.”
“It’s a fair bet that if the president had a 56 - 40 percent approval rating, instead of the opposite, Sink probably would be ahead,” Brown added.
Eric Kleefeld
Eric Kleefeld joined TPM as an intern for the final months of the 2006 midterm elections, and then kept showing up for work. His other interests include guitars, old comic books and the politics of various English-speaking countries.
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