A new poll shows Gov. Rick Scott with the lead over U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., in what is expected to be one of the most competitive Senate races in the nation.
Axios and Survey Monkey released a host of state polls, including one looking at Florida, on Tuesday. The polls show Democrats will have a tough time taking control of the Senate come November.
Scott takes 49 percent with Nelson behind him with 46 percent.
“It’s looking nearly impossible for Democrats to take back the Senate. So the stakes are even higher for them to win the House if they’re going to have any kind of congressional check on President Trump,” noted Alexi McCammond from Axios. “ The polls shows three Democratic senators are poised to lose their seats to Republicans — Heidi Heitkamp in North Dakota, Bill Nelson in Florida and Joe Donnelly in Indiana….Democrats would pick up seats in Arizona and Nevada, while Republicans keep their seat in Tennessee.”
Democrats do have a slight edge in enthusiasm in Florida with 53 percent of registered Democrats and those leaning to that party saying they are enthusiastic about voting in November. That compared to 46 percent of Republicans and GOP leaners. Voters outside the major parties with no preference are far less motivated to go to the polls with only 26 percent of them saying they are enthusiastic to vote in November.
Most voters across the board say they will vote in November with 78 percent of Republicans and Republican leaners and 73 percent of Democrats and Democrat leaners planning to cast ballots. Barely half of voters outside the major parties with no preference–51 percent–say they plan to vote in November.
Asked about how important immigration is, 18 percent of those surveyed in Florida say it is a top issue, an increase from an Axios/Survey Monkey poll taken in February and March when 13 percent of those surveyed in Florida said it was a top issue.
A majority of those surveyed in Florida–60 percent–say they support the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program which is down from 68 percent back in the February/March poll.
Almost half of Floridians–48 percent–say the economy is better than it was last year which is almost no change from the February/March poll when 49 percent said that.
A slight majority of Floridians–53 percent–back the tax reform law supported by President Donald Trump, almost no change from the February/March poll which had 52 percent supporting the tax reform law.
The poll of 1,080 registered voters in Florida was taken from June 11-July 2 and had a margin of error of +/- 5 percent.