Demings, Fried, and DeSantis all lead in new UNF Poll

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Ron DeSantis is on his way to re-election, and Marco Rubio is in trouble, that is what a new poll from the University of North Florida is showing as voters hit the polls for Florida’s primary election.

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“Rubio’s approval numbers are Biden-esque,” says Dr. Michael Binder, of the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at the University of North Florida. “This is registered voters, and Val is up four points, but this is registered voters, not a likely voter’s model.”

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The poll, which shows Congresswoman Val Demings beating Senator Marco Rubio 48%-44% also shows Rubio with an approval rate of just 37%.

Results from the poll were collected after the search of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago mansion also shows Ron DeSantis edging out the former president in a head-to-head matchup, with Florida Republicans picking the governor 47%-45%.

“He’s been Governor for the last four years,” says Binder. “If there is ever a place where Ron DeSantis has a chance to beat Donald Trump, it’s Florida.”

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On the other side of the equation, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried is leading Congressman Charlie Crist in the Democratic primary for Governor, 47% - 43%.

“People are starting to know who Nikki Fried is,” says Binder. “This has been a two-person race since the beginning.”

Meanwhile the top issue heading into the primary continues to be the economy, with 43% of people saying “cost of living” is their main issue, followed by education and abortion at 8% each.

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“Cost of living is everything, and it is what is getting the attention,” says Binder.

The poll of 1,624 registered Florida voters was conducted August 8 through August 12 and has a margin of error of 3.4%.

See the full results of the survey below:

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