Scott Powers
A new poll from Suffolk University is finding a near dead-heat in Florida’s gubernatorial election, with Democratic Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum getting 45 percent and Republican former U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis 44 percent.
With a 4.4 percent margin of error among the likely election voters surveyed, the race is a toss-up a week out from Election Day.
The same poll found similar results in Florida’s U.S. Senate race, with Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson holding 45 percent and Republican Gov. Rick Scott 43 percent.
“Both the U.S. Senate and governor’s races will come down to get-out-the-vote operations on Election Day because both races are too close to call,” a statement from the Suffolk University/USA TODAY Network poll declared.
The survey used live interviews via cellphones and landlines of 500 voters who said they already have voted or intend to vote, and was conducted from last Thursday through Sunday.
The Suffolk poll continues the running consensus of polls in recent weeks that have the Democrats slightly on top, leading by one or two or three points in almost every survey, but all within the margins of error. RealClearPolitics.com, which tracks more than a dozen Florida polls, is giving Gillum a running 3 point advantage in the poll consensus, and Nelson a 2 point advantage.
As in other polls in recent weeks, the Suffolk poll found both Gillum and Nelson with strong leads among women voters and younger voters, and an overwhelming lead among black voters. DeSantis and Scott have solid advantages among men, older voters, and white voters.
Unlike in most previous polls, DeSantis and Scott also found slight edges among independent voters in the Suffolk poll.
Voters said their top issues in the governor’s race are the economy (22 percent), health care (20 percent), education (19 percent), taxes (12 percent), corruption (8 percent), and gun control (7 percent).
As for gun control, the Suffolk poll found a solid majority of voters wanting to see a ban on assault-style rifles such as the AR-15s used in many of the mass shootings, including at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in February and at Orlando’s Pulse nightclub in 2016. The survey found 56 percent want the next governor to move to ban semi-automatic weapons, while 34 percent were opposed and 10 percent undecided. Among gun-owning households in the Sunshine State, 43 percent support the move to ban the weapons, Suffolk reported.
12 comments
Royce Wade
October 31, 2018 at 10:48 am
Andrew Gillum = SOCIALISM. He supports Cop Killers by his own admission!!!! Florida, say No to this liar, thief, who is already wet-kissing drug cartels and Florida will be no-more. Don’t be singing the blues, they want your vote then have no care or responsibility for Floridians.
DrCroland
October 31, 2018 at 7:28 pm
You can’t stand the fact that a person of color may become the next governor of Florida while you have to clean toilets for a living. I am sad for you.
Nordonia Nate
November 1, 2018 at 9:05 am
And, the race card played again… Shameful
Not Communist
November 1, 2018 at 11:15 pm
Nothing to do with color moron! He is a radical marxist!!
james mcquade
October 31, 2018 at 11:39 am
And the red wave will show up to vote gillum and his delusional party out
DrCroland
October 31, 2018 at 7:30 pm
We’ll see about that, pal.
J
October 31, 2018 at 4:27 pm
I wouldn’t vote for a black even if they were GOP after Obama, Holder, Lee, Waters after their UnAmerican antics!
DrCroland
October 31, 2018 at 7:29 pm
Well, you’ve shown your true colors. No comment needed.
DrCroland
October 31, 2018 at 7:32 pm
You’re such a chickenshit coward that apparently you’re afraid even to post a fake name! You are a hateful, disgusting pig.
Nordonia Nate
November 1, 2018 at 9:08 am
OMG !!! You play the race card .. You resort to hate-filled profanity … AND you judge others?
A true Gillum supporter at their finest..
James
November 2, 2018 at 7:14 am
Wow, meanwhile you support a guy that call Putin a nice guy! You make no sense, “UnAmerican!” Lol.
J.Nagy
November 4, 2018 at 10:15 am
But you’re happy to give the new welfare queens $12-17 billion dollars for a tariff that won’t work,isn’t that the pot calling the kettle black? It looks like you don’t mind passing another $117 billion dollar debt to your kids and grand kids. The party of non-fiscal responsibility,just put the bill on the country’s credit card and don’t worry about it.
Comments are closed.