Republicans Show Early Edge in Florida Senate and Governor Races

By CQ-Roll Call Staff | June 25, 2009 11:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Although Republicans yet have to choose who their governor and senate candidates will be, Republican contenders hold early leads in general election match-ups for the state's open-seat races for governor and for U.S. Senate, according to two new polls from Rasmussen Reports.

In a poll of the governor's race, Republican state Attorney General Bill McCollum leads Democrat state Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink 42 percent to 34 percent among 500 likely voters surveyed June 22. An additional 18 percent of voters were undecided and 7 percent indicated a preference for "some other candidate." The margin of error was 4.5 points.

Sink and McCollum lead the current fields for their respective party nominations. They are competing for the seat currently held by Republican Gov. Charlie Crist, who is vying for the U.S. Senate in 2010.

Crist holds an early lead in his Senate race, according to Rasmussen's Senate poll. The governor leads Democratic Rep. Kendrick B. Meek 46 percent to 28 percent in a June 22 survey of 500 likely voters. Another 14 percent of voters surveyed were undecided and 12 percent indicated their preference for another candidate. The margin of error was 4.5 percentage points.

Meek currently leads the Democratic field, but faces potential competition from fellow Democratic Rep. Corinne Brown, who is considering entering the race. In a match-up against Brown, Crist fares slightly better than he did over Meek: 50 percent for Crist to 29 percent for Brown with 13 percent undecided and 8 percent indicating a preference for another candidate.

The U.S. Senate seat is open due to Republican Mel Martinez' decision to retire in Jan. 2011.

To follow the 2009 and 2010 governors' races, check out CQ Politics' election map.

-Rachel Kapochunas

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