Fresh off a Florida governor’s debate that delved into the personal, a new poll out Wednesday shows that the contest between incumbent GOP Gov. Rick Scott and former Gov. Charlie Crist is in a dead heat.
The two men are tied at 42 percent apiece among likely voters, according to the Quinnipiac University poll, with 7 percent opting for Libertarian Adrian Wyllie. With Mr. Wyllie out of the race, Mr. Scott and Mr. Crist are still tied at 44 percent apiece.
Mr. Scott leads Mr. Crist among men, 46 percent to 38 percent, while Mr. Crist leads the incumbent among women, 45 percent to 39 percent. Mr. Crist has a slight advantage over Mr. Scott among independents, 41 percent to 38 percent, and among those who have already voted, at 42 percent to 38 percent.
Neither man is viewed very favorably by voters. Mr. Crist, a Republican-turned-independent-turned-Democrat, has a negative 42 percent/47 percent favorable/unfavorable split, and Mr. Scott has a negative 40 percent/48 percent split.
“Will nice guys finish last in the Florida governor’s race? According to voters, there are no nice guys in this race, since neither Scott nor Crist are viewed favorably,” said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll. “The Florida governor’s race challenges the idea that voters won’t vote for a candidate they don’t like. In the Sunshine State this year, voters definitely are voting for the lesser of two evils.”
The survey of 984 likely voters was taken from Oct. 14-20 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
SEE ALSO: Rick Scott, Charlie Crist spar over immigration, economy in Florida gubernatorial debate
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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