TAMPA, Fla — This week in politics…and nine weeks until the election, new polling from AARP Florida shows incredibly close races for governor and senate, with slight leads in favor of GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sen. Marco Rubio, respectively.
The survey conducted by a bipartisan team of Democratic pollster Impact Research and Republican pollster Fabrizio Ward, included interviews of more than 1600 likely Florida voters, with a ballot test sample of 500.
In the race for Governor DeSantis took 50% to Democratic nominee Charlie Crist’s 47%, just under the 4.4% margin of error.
In the race for U.S. Senate race, Incumbent Sen. Marco Rubio took 49% to Democratic nominee Rep. Val Demings’ 47%. Though 52% of those surveyed have an “unfavorable” view of Rubio.
Undecided? Most are not. The poll found just 3% of voters 18+ are undecided over who to choose in the race for governor, and 4% are undecided in the senate race.
But the fight will be to lock in “persuadable” voters over 50-years-old. The poll shows about 11% of likely 50+ voters have not definitively made up their mind in the gubernatorial race.
A key demographic, as the majority of likely Florida voters are expected to be 50+. Both DeSantis and Rubio had slightly bigger leads among older voters.
The AARP poll shows inflation and the economy are the top issues among those voters.
To see the full poll results, click here.
On the trail the campaign to win over those remaining voters continued across the state.
Governor DeSantis was nearby in Dover to get an endorsement from the Florida Farm Bureau Federation and later traveled to Miami calling for legislative action for more toll road relief for Florida drivers.
Crist was in Jacksonville and Tallahassee where he discussed his plans to tackle the ongoing property insurance crisis.