4 points separate Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, Rick Scott in new poll

Could Rick Scott end up as a one-term Senator?

While the latest survey from Florida Atlantic University’s PolCom Lab shows him with a marginal lead over his Democratic opponent, the poll shows Debbie Mucarsel-Powell could be a serious threat to the Naples Republican.

Regarding Scott’s narrow 47% to 43% lead, PolCom co-director Kevin Wagner says “there is increasing evidence that this race could be competitive in November.”

The FAU survey, which sampled 1,055 registered voters from Aug. 10 to 11, is stronger for Democrats than another one released this week.

Polling from Associated Industries of Florida (AIF) shows Scott ahead of Mucarsel-Powell by 10 points (52-42%) with 7% of voters undecided.

Polling of a potential race between Mucarsel-Powell and Scott has been all over the place, and this latest FAU effort falls in between the extremes in surveys in recent months.

In a previous survey released by Florida Atlantic University, she’s just 2 points back among likely voters, 45% to 43%.

That June poll presented a marked contrast to a previous poll by the same outfit that showed a 16-point race, and with a Florida Chamber of Commerce poll that showed a 15-point gap earlier this Summer.

Questions remain, meanwhile, about Scott’s popularity after a USA Today survey released Monday. The R+8 poll showed him at just 35% approval, and suggested the Senator has issues across various demographics.

While Scott is treading water with men (45% approval against 44% disapproval), women voters surveyed here seem to be in revolt, with just 28% approving of Scott and 52% disapproving.

Meanwhile, Scott is also underwater with all groups of voters under the age of 65, while treading water with senior citizens with 40% approval and 40% disapproval.

With those under 35, he is at 35% approval and 57% disapproval. He is at -19 with voters between 35 and 49 years of age, and at the same level with those between 50 and 64.

Yet his performance with Republicans could be most concerning. The Naples Republican has just 59% approval in his own party, against 24% disapproval. Meanwhile, an additional 10% claim to have never heard of the man who has held statewide office continuously since the beginning of 2011.