Peter Schorsch
A November match-up between Marco Rubio and Patrick Murphy could be a close one.
A new Quinnipiac University poll of likely Florida voters found the race was too close to call, with 45 percent of respondents backing Rubio, while 45 percent picked Murphy. Just 7 percent of voters said they didn’t know who they would support.
Rubio received strong support from those who identified as independent voters. The poll found 51 percent of independent voters said they would vote for Rubio, while 41 percent picked Murphy.
The Miami Republican also leads among white voters, with 53 percent saying they would vote for Rubio. The survey found Murphy leads among non-white voters, 57 percent to 37 percent.
When it comes to female voters, 52 percent said they would back Murphy compared to 39 percent who picked Rubio.
Both men face primary challenges, but both are expected to snatch their party’s nomination come Aug. 30. Rubio faces Carlos Beruff, while Murphy faces Democrat Alan Grayson.
Rubio would defeat Grayson 49 percent to 43 percent, according to the Quinnipiac University poll. In that match-up, Rubio would receive support from 49 percent of independent voters and 57 percent of white voters.
In a match-up between Murphy and Beruff, the Treasure Coast Democrat would come out on top with 48 percent support to Beruff’s 34 percent.
The Manatee County Republican would also fall short in a match-up with Grayson. The poll found Grayson would top Beruff 43 percent to 39 percent.
The poll of 1,056 likely Florida voters was conducted from July 30 to Aug. 7. It has a margin of error of 3 percent.
