New poll gives Gillum an edge over DeSantis in Florida governor's race

CENTRAL FLORIDA — A new poll in the Florida governor’s race shows Democrat Andrew Gillum pulling away with a lead.

Gillum leads DeSantis 50-44, according to the poll by Reuters, Ipsos and the University of Virginia Center for Politics. Gillum's six-point lead is outside the poll's margin of error of four percentage points.
The poll sampled 1,000 likely voters in Florida.

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With less than seven weeks until Election Day, and with early voting starting in a little more than month, the poll reveals both candidates securing their base. DeSantis, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump, gets the support of 88 percent of Republican voters. Gillum, who was endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), has 93 percent of Democratic voters.

The poll also shows Gillum overperforming with independent voters by a 40-point margin over DeSantis.

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The top two issues for voters are the economy and immigration, the poll said.

The same poll also shows a dead heat in Florida's race for U.S. Senate, with Gov. Rick Scott leading incumbent Bill Nelson by just 1 percent, which is well within the margin of error.

“Remember, things can change,” said Channel 9 political and investigative reporter Christopher Heath. “A poll is just a snapshot of one moment in time – and there is still a lot of time left.”

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