With less than 70 days to go to the presidential election, polls are showing a competitive presidential and congressional race ahead of November. But in Florida, the most recent polls have shown Republicans to be more comfortable in two of their most high-profile races.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and U.S. Sen. Rick Scott entered the General Election season as favorites to win in the Sunshine State, further solidifying the conservative stronghold in the southern state.
A recent Florida Chamber of Commerce/Cherry Communications poll shows Trump leading Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris 52% to 45%, putting the former President about a majority threshold to win.
Pollsters surveyed 600 voters between Aug. 15 and 26, a time period that spanned Florida's statewide Primary when more voters were politically engaged. The polling breakdown included 254 Republicans, 217 Democrats and 129 other voters. The poll had a 4-percentage-point margin of error.
The poll also found voters with no party affiliation in the state, a critical voting bloc to win, breaking for Trump. About 53% of no-party voters surveyed say they intend to vote for Trump, while just 43% will support Harris.
Looking at the Senate race, one where Democrats hoped to be gaining some ground, seems to be further solidifying itself for the GOP, with Sen. Rick Scott holding the edge as he seeks a second term in the Senate.
The recent survey found that some 51% of voters say they are ready to re-elect the Naples Republican, compared to 44% who plan to vote for Democratic Senate nominee, former Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell.
The incumbent also holds a stronghold within his party, enjoying the backing of 88% of Republicans in Florida. He also boasts the backing of 51% of no-party voters, while just 40% plan to vote for his Democratic challenger.
"Scott also has a strong lead among older voters with 54% supporting him, while 41% support Mucarsel-Powell," a polling memo reads.
The survey comes as Mucarsel-Powell launches a "75 Stop Tour" campaign push across Florida in hopes to close the gap with the incumbent. She said that the tour derives from "every single time that Rick Scott took the fifth when he was being investigated for committing fraud."
"It is 75 times that Rick Scott showed this country what a lack of moral character he has, 75 times that he showed America what political corruption looks like, and 75 times that he shows that he will do absolutely anything to get back to power so that he can continue to enrich himself from government," she said in Miami.
Meanwhile, Scott, who is the wealthiest man in the Senate and has previously self-funded his campaigns, remains confident in his chances to win another term in his Senate seat, but he remains skeptical about the polling that shows a small margin of difference between the two candidates.
"We're going to have a big win. If you look at all my races, the polls have generally been way off," Scott said in Jacksonville. "In all three of my races, polls said I was going to lose... because they're not accurate."
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