Republican Gov. Rick Scott has a 5-point lead over Democrat Charlie Crist in Florida’s race for governor, according to a new Tampa Bay Times poll.
The poll, released with Bay News 9 and the University of Florida Bob Graham Center, said the incumbent drew 40.9 percent of respondents compared to Mr. Crist’s 35.7 percent.
Libertarian candidate Adrian Wyllie took 6.3 percent.
Asked to choose between Mr. Scott or Mr. Crist, the Republican’s lead grew to 6 points, the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Even so, another poll released Wednesday offered a conflicting outlook.
SurveyUSA found Mr. Crist leads by 2 point over Mr. Scott, 45 percent to 43 percent, with Mr. Wyllie taking home 4.7 percent.
In the Tampa Bay Times poll, seven in 10 voters said the governor can “do a lot” to improve the state’s economy, and 48.7 percent the state’s economic picture is recovering.
“If I were Rick Scott, I’d be playing up the economy as he has been. I would take this poll result and I would run with it,” Christopher McCarty, director of the UF Survey Research Center and director of the University of Florida’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research, told the Times.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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