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Poll: Charlie Crist Keeps Edge Over Rick Scott
November 22, 2013
With a campaign full of attack ads and big money ready to play out, Democrat Charlie Crist has a seven-point lead over incumbent Republican Rick Scott in the 2014 race for Florida governor, a poll released Thursday shows.
Crist, a former Republican governor who became a registered Democrat last year, leads Scott by a margin of 47 percent to 40 percent, according to the Quinnipiac University poll. A similar poll in June showed Crist leading 47 percent to 37 percent in a match-up with Scott.
While the new poll showed the margin narrowing, it also indicated that voters continue to have a generally negative view of Scott. For example, 42 percent of the people in the poll said they approved of the way Scot is handling his job, while 47 percent disapproved.
Crist filed paperwork Nov. 1 to formally enter the race, and Scott and his allies are expected to spend tens of millions of dollars blasting the former Republican as a political opportunist who was in office when the economic recession hit the state.
The poll shows voters split 46 percent to 46 percent about whether Crist’s party-switching is a positive or negative thing. Also, it showed that 53 percent of voters approve of the job Crist did as governor.
“To catch Crist, Scott is going to have to convince Florida voters that Crist was a bad governor and a political opportunist,” Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, said in a prepared statement. “And he is planning on spending tens of millions of dollars on television adds to make that argument. This will be an intensely negative campaign on both sides. The survivor will be the candidate voters dislike least on Election Day.”
The poll also showed that voters, by large margins, approve of allowing people to use marijuana for medical purposes. That issue could come before voters as a proposed constitutional amendment in November 2014 if supporters can get it on the ballot.
Quinnipiac surveyed 1,646 registered voters from Nov. 12 to Nov. 17, and the poll has a margin of error 2.4 percentage points. The Connecticut-based Quinnipiac frequently conducts polls in Florida and other states.
By The News Service of Florida
Comments
26 Responses to “Poll: Charlie Crist Keeps Edge Over Rick Scott”
Scot achieved the budget surplus by cutting jobs. He ran his campaign on the lie that he was going to create jobs. Every time a big company decide open shop in Florida, he runs over there with the press taking credit for the creation of jobs. He killed the biggest job making opportunity when he aborted the monorail project. I would rather have a go – getter like Crist, who fought for the federal government to fund the monorail project.
Those who think much of Scott’s budget surplus should remember it was achieved on the backs of people like disabled children who ended up warehoused, state workers who were laid off and thrown into the one of the worst long-term unemployment situation sin the nation, and women who were denied the services of rape crisis centers and whooping cough vaccines.
As for Obamacare, I don’t think much of it myself, but who was it who flip-flopped on Medicaid expansion lately? Initials: “RS”. Both candidates have that taint, sorry. But given a choice between someone who supported Obamacare and someone who cut funds for rape crisis centers and vaccines, both are bad, but it takes a dead conscience to say the first is worse on health care issues.
If the state of Florida’s gubernatorial choice came down to Scott against Pot, and Crist FOR pot, it would be telling of the sad, sad condition of our voters. Anyone who would vote for a candidate based on this is by their very nature, un-qualified to vote. This is certainly akin to folks voting for candidates who promise them favors from the state’s treasury.
The next election will be about marijuana.
Does anyone remember that Governor Scott was the CEO of a corporation that was under investigation and found to have committed medicaid fraud robbing the taxpayers to the point that they received the largest fines in history?
@429SCJ
You DO realize that the proposed amendment allowing marijuana violates the law, by the fact that it covers more than one topic??? Not to mention it is deceptive in its wording???
If those folks who want to base their life upon what they smoke wish to have the amendment pass, maybe they should see it is worded within the law. A proposed amendment is only supposed to cover one topic, and not be deceptive in its wording. Is that clear enough?
It is the General Bondi’s constitutional DUTY to fight this proposed amendment. Is that clear enough?
Charlie Crist is Obama’s tool.
Keep in mind that Governor Scott closed existing prisons to open private for profit prisons at a huge expense to taxpayers and placing many out of work. The for profit prison are operated by GEO corporation a huge campaign contributor to Governor Scott. These are facts and can be verified. These for profit prisons are understaffed and the staff have minimal qualifications. There is a much greater security threat at the for profit prisons than there is at the state prisons. At least with Crist the public was not placed at risk. Governor Scott congratulates himself on job creation, but fails to mention the many jobs that have been lost. I do not think that people losing a job with benefits and a decent salary and accepting a job with no benefits and a minimal salary is something to brag about and call job growth. This election should not be about marijuana or about Obamacare, it should be about getting Florida back on the right track. While it looks like Crist is an opportunist, there is no doubt that Scott also is and probably a much bigger one. My vote is for Crist.
Crist represents the status quo of old mamby pambie Republicans who were Democrats pandering in disguise as Republicans I.e. Romniey and MCain. Anyone pulling for Crist favors machine politics and the establishment….or maybe they part of the establishment. We are in dire need of flushing out, at the polls,of tthe politicians who serve only themselves. From DC right on down to the corrupt and entrenched politics of most of the small towns around here it’s time for a change….Crist is a symbol of going backward.
@Keith, yes she is a constitutional officer charged with upholding the laws of Florida.
Obstruction of the democratic process by blocking a public referendum has nothing to do with the laws of Florida and more to do with the laws of the constitution.
There is no room for agendas as such, personal or otherwise.
Re: THE DOER
You are absolutely correct.
Governor Scott took Florida from a huge deficit to a surplus budget of $846 million for 2014, doing this in less than one term in office. He made budget cuts, some painful, but it had to be done.
A lot of people don’t like Scott. He is not a hand shaker or baby kisser, one of the most reclusive Governors Florida has had.
He is a bean counter, and apparently a good one at that, and sure as heck is against big Government and wasteful spending. We need this man in Washington for 4 years and he could get this Country back on track financially. He is all about the bottom line.
I could careless how much of a people person he is… And he works for free also.
Hey citizen sounds like the rantings of a wishful, pothead
The next election is and will be about Cannabis.
“The poll also showed that voters, by large margins, approve of allowing people to use marijuana for medical purposes. ”
This is why Crist will win it. Scott has done nothing for the state of Florida for advancement. While other states are taking steps to legalise and regulate Marijuana florida is doing silly things like trying to ban bongs.
Florida has a large elderly community that could use medical marijuana instead of high powered and highly addictive pain pills.
There have been many things that Rick Scott has done over his tenure that I didn’t necessarily agree with; however, I am smart enough to know that this man knows how to manage money. Right now, according to the “American Thinker” and many other sources, Florida is currently operating at a surplus budget and expects a surplus budget of $846 million for 2014. That is unbelievable in this economy. He also cut state taxes exempting all manufacturing equipment from sales and use taxes too. People need to keep this in mind. He is putting the money back in the hands of the people.
We’ll see what he does with Common Core Crap.
Expanding medicaid and medical marijuana adds up to a lot of voters. Added to that are all the teachers, government workers and unemployed and underemployed in this state. That leaves rich white guys for Scott. Do the math. Will not even be close. Also the apathy that existed with Democrats and Independents in 2010, mid terms never a big draw, no longer exists. Record turn out this time. Bye Rick and take Pam with you.
Pam Bondi is the attorney general. She is the Consitutional Officer charged with upholding the laws of Florida. So, doing is duty is now a putsch? The proposed amendment is in violation of the law. She did her job. Deal with it.
I will never forget how Crist supported the death of Terri Schiavo in 2005. Crist opposed then Governor Jeb Bush’s attempts to keep Terri Schiavo alive.
They are all politicians and one party is as bad as the other.
If we look at Charlie Christ he has proved to be the lesser evil and the most competent.
Charlie Crist is conservative when necessary and liberal when necessary. Scott seems to be disliked for trying to curb spending in government and to trim out departments etc that are not necessary or handled by two many departments when one could handle it just as well. I don’t know a great deal about Mr. Scott but I do know that to vote for a party of change (i.e. democrats) will not happen. Charlie Crist supporting Obama and Obama care ensures he will not get my vote.
Dont forget Mr Chist was all on board with Obama Care , He is not what Fl Needs ………
A vote for Crist is a vote for Obama
and an endorsement of the ObamaCare fiasco !!!!
I don’t think I am voting for Charlie Crist. Yes, he is a political opportunist an also did not apparently have core beliefs to have turned around from conservative (or semi-conservative) to a Barack Obama liberal Democrat. You go ahead, maybe he wins, but not with my vote.
And we don’t need ANOTHER reason for people to be impaired and/or distracted while driving. More people will get killed in auto accidents. I know someone who was seriously injured when she was wrecked into by a guy who was high on drugs and wanted to “get the angel off the hood of his car” so he wrecked his car into someone else due to his drug-crazy fantasy. The impact was so hard the driver’s seat was broken off it’s frame and her sternum was broken. Is this what you want for yourself and your family & friends?
Isn’t Charlie now part of the group that brought to us this blessed Obamacare? I don’t have enough fingers to number all of my friends who’ve lost their insurance or had their premieum jacked up. Now, I face paying the penalty for NOT having health insurance. Thanks Democrats.
I feel think that Pam Bondi’s putsch on the medical marijuana referendum was the last straw for many Florida voters.
I will be voting for Charlie Christ in 2014. Lets get to work, helping Rick Scott move out of the governor’s mansion.
I think that Pam Bondi’s putsch on medical marijuana was the last straw for the Scott Administration as far as many Florida voters are concerned anyway.
I will be voting for Charlie Christ in 2014. We can get to work moving Rick Scott out of the governors mansion.