Both Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) are leading their Democrat opponents in their respective races, a Susquehanna Polling and Research survey released this week found.
The poll, taken August 4-10, 2021, among 700 registered and likely voters, asked respondents to indicate who they would support if the Sunshine State’s gubernatorial race were held today.
In a matchup between DeSantis and former Florida governor and current Rep. Charlie Crist (D-FL), DeSantis leads by three points — 46 percent to 43 percent. Seven percent, in that specific scenario, remain undecided.
The survey asked the same question, replacing Crist with fellow Democrat challenger Nikki Fried, an outspoken “lockdown lobbyist” and DeSantis critic who currently serves as the Florida commissioner of agriculture. In this case, DeSantis leads his potential Democrat opponent by double digits — 50 percent to Fried’s 40 percent.
Notably, Crist also edged out Fried in a head-to-head Democrat primary matchup, 39 percent to 27 percent, although 30 percent said they remain undecided.
The survey also fielded the Florida Senate race between Sen. Rubio and his Democrat challenger Rep. Val Demings. Rubio leads the congresswoman, who once baselessly claimed the Cuban American was “afraid” to talk to black people, by 11 percent — 50 percent to 39 percent.
Notably, 50 percent of the voters surveyed indicated they voted for President Biden in the 2020 general election.
The survey’s margin of error is +/- 3.7 percent.
The findings coincide with a Florida Chamber of Commerce survey released this month showing the Republican governor crushing his Democrat opponents by nearly double digits, edging out Crist by eight points and Fried by nine points.