AIF poll shows Donald Trump, Rick Scott winning majorities in Florida

Komen Pink Party at Maralago January 14, 2012

A new poll shows a majority of likely Florida voters support Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and U.S. Sen. Rick Scott.

The Associated Industries of Florida’s (AIF) Center for Political Strategy said its latest polling has Trump leading with 51% over Democratic opponent Kamala Harris’ support. The 5-point lead represents a stronger lead than other recent polling. More importantly, it puts the Republican ticket north of a majority regardless of what the remaining undecided voters decide to do in the Nov. 5 General Election.

The poll shows Scott with an even larger lead, winning 51% to Democratic challenger Debbie Mucarsel-Powell’s 44%.

Pollsters with McLaughlin & Associates report a 2.8-percentage-point margin of error. Pollsters surveyed 1,200 likely voters between Sept. 23 and 25.

Overall, the poll shows voters focused on economic issues, creating an environment generally favorable to Republicans. About 23% of voters list inflation as the most important issue for their vote and an equal 23% list property insurance costs. Another 12% list housing costs while 10% choose illegal immigration.

No other issues polled break 10%, according to pollsters.

While Democrats are campaigning against Republicans on economic issues, particularly insurance, voters are split which party can best handle the issue. About 34% say they trust Republicans to handle an insurance crisis and 34% say the same about Democrats.

But the poll found 48% of voters trust Republicans more than Democrats to handle the economy in general, while only 27% say Democrats do a better job on economic issues. Voters trust Republicans over Democrats on inflation (43% to 28%), protecting personal freedoms (47% to 41%), addressing crime (48% to 23%) and education (41% to 37%).

Outside the statewide contests for President and Senate, the poll found voters generally included to support Republicans in legislative races. A generic ballot test showed 50% of voters plan to vote Republican for Florida House or Senate seats, and 45% plan to vote Democrat.

The results will be presented in full at an AIF Fall Political and Policy Retreat in Orlando.