Jacob Ogles
Rep. Allison Tant appears to be in good shape as she seeks to defend her House District 9 seat, according to an internal poll.
Impact Research, a polling outfit used by Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris’ campaign, found the Tallahassee Democrat with a commanding lead over Republican challenger Spencer Brass.
The survey found 55% of likely voters in the district want to re-elect Tant, more than enough to ensure her a third term. Meanwhile, just 36% of voters favor Brass, with just 8% still undecided.
“Recent polling in FL HD-9 shows Democratic Representative Allison Tant with a commanding lead and in a strong position for re-election this year,” reads a polling memo from Impact. “Tant can hold this strong margin, given she has the resources to communicate against a self-funding millionaire opponent.”
Financial disclosures filed in June list Brass’ net worth above $5.2 million.
Pollsters said they surveyed voters cold, then provided information on both candidates. That led to Brass picking up some support but Tant gaining even more. She led the informed electorate with 57% of the vote to Brass’ 37%.
The sentiment on the House race lines up with what Impact found as far as constituent feelings on the 2024 Presidential Election. About 56% of voters in HD 9 favor Harris over Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. If that holds, it means Harris would outperform President Joe Biden’s 2020 numbers in the district, the memo states. The poll found Trump with a favorability rating that is 20 percentage points underwater.
Tant notably outperforms a generic ballot test in the region. About 47% of voters are naturally inclined to vote Democrat in races, according to the poll, compared to 36% who vote Republican by default and 16% who consider themselves persuadable.
Pollsters surveyed 400 likely General Election voters between Aug. 7 and 10. The poll had a margin of error of 4.9 percentage points.
Tant, a former Florida Democratic Party Chair, has raised more than $393,000 in her official campaign account. Brass, by comparison, has raised $44,000.
