FL-SEN

Weekend Polls Show Kendrick Meek Riding High

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 23, 2010, 9:52AM

Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-FL)

A trio of new polls from the weekend show Rep. Kendrick Meek with the wind at his back heading into tomorrow's Democratic primary for Senate in Florida. The numbers show that Meek has shaken off the negative hits billionaire investor Jeff Greene has thrown his way, despite the huge amount of money Greene has poured into the race with the goal of turning Democratic voters off to the four-term Congressman.

All three polls show Meek ahead by double digits. A Mason-Dixon poll conducted last week shows Meek up 12, 42-30. A new Qunnipiac poll from the weekend shows him ahead by 10, and a PPP(D) poll taken during the same period shows Meek ahead 51-27.

As it stands less than 24 hours before the primary vote, TPM Poll Average shows Meek leading a three-way race with Greene and former Miami Mayor Maurice Ferre by a comfortable margin. The average shows Meek with 38.8% of the vote, Greene with 27.7% and Ferre with 3.7%.

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FL-SEN

Quinnipiac Poll: Greene Takes Big Lead Over Meek In FL-SEN Dem Primary

Thomas Rhiel | July 29, 2010, 9:22AM

FL Democratic Senate candidates Kendrick Meek and Jeff Greene

Quinnipiac's out with new numbers from the Florida Democratic Senate primary, and they show businessman Jeff Greene taking the lead. Although "undecided" beat out all three candidates vying for the nomination -- something that isn't new for this race -- Greene leads the pack with 33%. Rep. Kendrick Meek is at 23%, and former Miami Mayor Maurice Ferre trails with 4%.

These Quinnipiac numbers are the first to show a clear leader in the race. A PPP poll from July 18 put Meek just ahead of Greene 28%-25%, and a Quinnipiac survey from June similarly showed Meek edging Green 29%-27%.

Both Greene and Meek are polling well behind the race's other two big-name candidates: Gov. Charlie Crist (I) and tea party favorite Marco Rubio (R).

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FL-SEN

Poll: 'Undecided' Way Ahead In FL-SEN Dem Primary

Eric Kleefeld | June 10, 2010, 9:59AM

FL Democratic Senate candidates Kendrick Meek and Jeff Greene

The new Quinnipiac poll in Florida suggests that there is in no true frontrunner at all for the Democratic nomination for Senate -- Rep. Kendrick Meek and businessman Jeff Greene are both so unknown to voters that it could be anyone's game in the race to go up against Republican Marco Rubio and independent Charlie Crist.

The numbers: Meek 29%, Greene 27%, former Miami Mayor Maurice Ferre 3%, and a plurality of 37% undecided. The survey of likely Dem primary voters has a ±3.5% margin of error.

The candidates are all unknowns. Meek's favorable rating among Dem primary voters is at 29%, with 8% unfavorable, and 59% who haven't heard enough. Greene is at 23%-10%-64%. And Ferre, who was mayor of Miami all the way back in the 1970s and 1980s, is at 8%-6%-83%.

FL-SEN

Maurice Ferre Gets Going In FL-Sen With Attacks On Crist

Evan McMorris-Santoro | November 27, 2009, 12:47PM

Sen. Candidate Maurice Ferre (D-FL)

Former Miami Mayor Maurice Ferre announced his bid for the Democratic senate nomination in Florida back in October, but has been relatively silent since. Not anymore. Ferre has come out swinging this week, attacking Gov. Charlie Crist (R) and slamming Sen. George LeMieux (R), who Crist appointed earlier this year.

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FL-SEN

Is Roger Stone Up To One Of His Dirty Tricks In The FL Senate Race?

Evan McMorris-Santoro | October 21, 2009, 6:05PM

Roger Stone

If the Florida Senate race wasn't already exciting enough, Democrats are now suggesting the latest candidate to join the fight is part of a bizarre plot to derail Rep. Kendrick Meek (D) run by the GOP (and/or Big Sugar).

Maurice Ferre, a former Miami mayor, has not won an election since 1993 and left his last political office three years later. But on Oct. 7 he decided to enter the Democratic primary for senate, where he faces an uphill climb against a well-funded and nationally-backed Meek, who had all but cleared the Democratic field months before Ferre got in. Ferre hasn't had to reveal fundraising numbers yet, but he's hired an experienced campaign team that suggests he's prepared to give Meek a serious fight. That would throw a monkey wrench into Meek's campaign machinery, which cleared the field of Dems months ago and is now geared up for the general election.

A growing number of conspiracy theorists say that's exactly why Ferre's a candidate.

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FL-SEN

Meek Trails GOP Candidates In Fundraising

Evan McMorris-Santoro | October 16, 2009, 8:48AM

Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-FL)

Rep. Kendrick Meek (D) raised less in the third quarter than both of his potential GOP opponents in the Florida Senate race. Meek raised just over $750,000 in the period, according to his FEC filing, and entered the fall quarter with about $2.7 million on hand.

Both Republicans in the race, former state House Speaker Marco Rubio and Gov. Charlie Crist, both raised far more than Meek did last quarter. But that pair is locked in a tough primary. So far, Meek's main competitor for the Democratic nomination is former Miami Mayor Maurice Ferre, who only recently declared and has not yet announced his fundraising numbers.

Late Update: Todd Wilder of the Ferre campaign called in after we posted. He tells TPMDC that since Ferre declared his candidacy after the end of the last fundraising quarter, the campaign will not be releasing any numbers until the end of the year.