JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Three major statewide races are virtually tied; that’s the finding of a new poll that looked at the Florida Governor, U.S. Senate, and State Attorney General races.
The new poll conducted by St. Pete Polls found Republican Gubernatorial nominee Byron Donalds holding an advantage of only a tenth of a percent over his Democratic opponent David Jolly.
Speaking with Action News Jax, Jolly told us he’s not surprised.
“They look at Republican leadership right now, and they see politicians building ballrooms and data centers, launching culture wars and doing nothing to impact what people are really asking for help with,” said Jolly.
Meanwhile, the poll found Incumbent Republican US Senator Ashley Moody holding an advantage of less than half a percent over her Democratic challenger Angie Nixon.
Nixon said the results back what her campaign is seeing internally.
“People are fed up. Folks want the government to work for them, and right now the government is working against them,” said Nixon.
When asked about the poll, Moody’s campaign declined to comment.
Meanwhile, the Donalds’ campaign sent this statement in response to the poll.
“Byron Donalds will be Florida’s next governor because he will make Florida safer, stronger, and more affordable,” said Donalds’ campaign Communications Director Gates McGavick. “Voters will reject failed lobbyist David Jolly and his liberal high tax agenda on November 3.”
The St. Pete Poll has shifted the outlook on the two statewide races, moving Florida from “leans Republican” in the Gubernatorial race to a tossup, and from “likely Republican” to “leans Republican” in the Senate race.
UCF Political Science Professor Dr. Aubrey Jewett argued that’s significant, because it suggests the Sunshine State may very well be in play for Democrats this election cycle, despite Republicans holding a voter registration advantage exceeding 1.5 million.
“It’s like, oh yeah, it’s a Republican Red state. Well, if you’re a Republican candidate these poll numbers don’t reflect that. They say, hey, you’re in a dog fight,” said Jewett.
But Jewett noted, it’s difficult to say how accurate the new poll is, given there’s little to compare it to.
“When we were known as the competitive Purple battleground state, heck, we probably would have had a dozen polls by now,” said Jewett. ”But, quite frankly, there’s only been a couple, two or three polls, in the last month or two.”
The St. Pete Poll also found the Florida Attorney General’s race to be neck and neck, with Republican incumbent James Uthmeier holding only a 1.4-point advantage over Democrat Jose Javier Rodriguez.
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