Rubio and DeSantis Have Their Democratic Opponents: Here’s What the Polls Are Saying About November
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The matchups are set for GOP incumbents Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) after Democratic voters resoundingly picked their November opponents Tuesday.
Rubio and DeSantis won their primaries unopposed.
A Democratic primary for governor was without drama as Rep. Charlie Crist (D-FL) cruised by Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried.
Crist, a former Republican governor of the state from 2007 to 2011, was up by almost 25 points with nearly all precincts reporting as of 10 p.m. ET.
The now-Democrat became an independent before he successfully ran for a House seat as a Democrat. He will face DeSantis on Nov. 2.
Likewise, Rubio knows who he will face the first Tuesday in November: Rep. Val Demings (D-FL).
Demings defeated her closest opponent by 78 points. Demings notched 84% of the vote, with runner-up Brian Rush garnering just over six percent.
DeSantis has a vast financial war chest, while Rubio has complained Demings has already outraised him. But what do polls say about each man’s respective chances for re-election?
According to a poll released last week by the University of North Florida, Crist has a hill to climb if he wishes to unseat DeSantis. The governor reached 50% to Crist’s 42%:
Registered voters who said they would vote in the general midterm election were asked who they would vote for if the election were held today, and the candidates were Ron DeSantis and Nikki Fried.
Fifty percent of respondents said they would vote for DeSantis, with 43% indicating a vote for Fried, and 5% said they would vote for someone else. DeSantis also came out on top with 50% when asked the same question if the Democratic candidate was Charlie Crist, who had 42%, and 6% saying they would vote for someone else.
The same poll found Demings ahead of Rubio.
“Val Demings came out on top in the head-to-head against Marco Rubio for U.S. Senate, with 48% indicating a vote for Demings and 44% for Rubio, with 7% saying they would vote for someone else,” the survey noted.
The University of North Florida reached out to 1,624 registered Florida voters, and was conducted from Aug. 8 to Aug. 12. The poll reported a margin of error at +/- 3.4 points.
Another poll also found Crist in a significant deficit when facing off against DeSantis, who leads him among independents by five points.
A Cherry Communications poll conducted from Aug. 4 to Aug. 15, 2022 also polled a head-to-head between Crist and DeSantis.
In that survey, DeSantis leads 51%-43% over Crist, with 87% support from Republicans and 48% support from independents. Crist has 43% support among independents.
Cherry Communications surveyed 608 registered voters and reported a margin of error of +/- four percent.
One additional poll in the Senate race by a progressive group found Demings and Rubio tied at 46% apiece.
