Jacob Ogles
Another poll shows Joe Biden leading Donald Trump among Florida likely voters— and Gov. Ron DeSantis treading water with his job approval rating.
The latest NBC News/Marist poll shows 51% of likely voters in Florida would pick Biden for President compared to 47% who want Trump reelected. Another 1% pick a third-party candidate, and just 1% of voters remain undecided.
That’s good news for Biden, who sits above the 50% mark in this eternal swing state. But the 4-percentage-point lead falls within the poll’s 4.4% margin of error.
The same poll in September found Biden and Trump tied among likely voters at 48% each. Full crosstabs were not released, but NBC reports Biden’s standing improved because of a strong showing among seniors and independent voters.
While the latest poll shows Biden with an edge, both candidates for President face troublesome favorability ratings. About 48% hold a favorable view of Biden but 49% give an unfavorable assessment. For Trump, a majority 52% grade him unfavorable while only 45% give him favorable marks.
Florida remains the largest consistent swing state with 29 electoral votes at stake, though Cook Political Report and other forecasters recently moved Texas with 38 electors into the toss-up category. Most pundits agree Trump must win Florida to secure a second term.
Of note to Florida observers, the poll marks the second this week to show DeSantis in a touchy place. About 45% of Florida adults disapprove of the job the Governor is doing, compared to 44% who approve. He’s similarly one point underwater among registered voters.
Notably, 47% of likely 2020 voters approve of his job performance while 46% disapprove, so he remains just barely in favor among those engaged in this election. But it shows the once-popular executive needs to rehab his image between now and 2022.
One bright piece of news for Republicans, the poll found support for new Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett. About 49% support her recent confirmation, compared to 41% who oppose it. About 9% list themselves as unsure.
One comment
Gary J Stein
October 31, 2020 at 3:20 am
Governor.deSantis needs to stop listening to the quack science of Dr.Scott Atlas, and concentrate on developing a system of centralized contact tracing, and stop the bleeding this virus had caused in this state. He owes that to his constituents and out health care workers who are treading water to deal with this pandemic.
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