Scott Powers
Former Orlando police chief Val Demings holds a 20-point edge over her nearest rival in the Democratic race for Orlando-based Congressional District 10, in a poll her campaign commissioned from Public Policy Polling and released Wednesday.
The poll, taken Jan. 26-28 of 506 likely Democratic primary voters, finds that Demings has high name recognition, stronger favorability ratings than her two best-known rivals and a substantial lead on both.
Thanks to this past fall’s redistricting, the formerly-Republican leaning district, home to U.S. Rep. Daniel Webster, R-Winter Garden, now has a 10-pint Democratic lean, according to PPP. It also is much more densely populated by African American and Hispanic voters than before.
When asked to choose between them, 44 percent of true Democratic primary voters picked Demings; 24 percent picked state Sen. Geraldine Thompson; and seven percent picked Democratic rainmaker Bob Poe, who just entered the race in early January. A fourth Democrat in the race, Orlando lawyer Fatima Rita Fahmy, was not mentioned.
There were no questions about Webster, who is mulling switching to Congressional District 11.
Respondents gave Demings a 55 percent favorable rating and a 17 percent unfavorable rating, while 28 percent said they were not sure about her. Thompson got a 48 percent favorable rating and 23 percent unfavorable, with 29 percent said they were not sure about her. Poe got just a 14 percent favorable rating and 21 percent unfavorable rating, with 66 percent said they were unsure about him.
