Closing the Florida governor’s race to a dead heat, Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, the Democrat, now has 44 percent of likely voters to Republican Rick Scott’s 45 percent, compared to the Republican’s 49 – 43 percent lead October 1, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.
Ms. Sink’s surge could be tied to voter belief, 44 – 28 percent, that she was a more ethical businessperson than Scott when both were in the private sector, the independent Quinnipiac University survey finds. A total of 89 percent of likely voters say a candidate’s record in business is either somewhat or very important to their vote choice.
By a 42 – 37 percent margin, Florida voters have a favorable opinion of Sink, while Scott gets a negative 39 – 46 percent favorability rating. This compares to the October 1 survey showing her with a split 39 – 39 percent favorability, compared to Scott’s split 41 – 40 percent.
“In the last two weeks, Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink has moved into a statistical tie with Rick Scott. Her image has improved while his has deteriorated. It would seem that the debate through television ads about their respective business careers may be the reason,” said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.
“At this point she is winning that debate handily and it is having an impact on the race.
“How the voters feel about the economy is also directly tied to their vote: Among those who think the economy is improving, Ms. Sink leads 69 – 22 percent, while Scott leads 58 – 25 percent among voters who see the economy getting worse.”
Only 20 percent of Florida likely voters say the state economy is getting better, while 34 percent say it is getting worse and 43 percent say it is about the same.
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