Demings, Jolly unknown to most Fla. voters, poll says, while Donalds leads GOP
Published in News & Features
Republican Byron Donalds enjoys a “significant early lead” among GOP voters in the race to be Florida’s next governor while Democrats have “no clear favorite” yet among their candidates, according to a new poll.
But many voters are still undecided — and do not even know the men who want to replace Gov. Ron DeSantis, according to the poll released by Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy on Thursday. DeSantis, finishing his second term, cannot run again for the job.
Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, a Democrat vying for the governor’s job, wins support from 19% of his party’s voters, the poll found, but 60% don’t recognize his name.
His opponent, former U.S. Rep. David Jolly, wins 23% of the vote, but 55% don’t recognize him. The poll’s authors said Jolly’s small lead over Demings is “insignificant” at this point given that 58% of voters said they were undecided.
In the GOP race, Donalds, endorsed by President Donald Trump, is recognized by 72% of voters and 37% of them would vote for him if the election were now.
But that race is also full of undecided voters, with 49% telling pollsters they didn’t know yet for whom they’d cast their vote.
Other Republicans in the race include Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, who jumped in this week, former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner and James Fishback.
They won support from 7%, 4% and 3% of GOP voters respectively. About three quarters of the voters polled said they did not recognize either of them.
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