Rep. Charlie Crist (D-FL.) has a very narrow lead over Florida incumbent Gov. Ron DeSantis as the Sunshine State becomes the epicenter of the COVID outbreak in the U.S.
According to the latest survey from St. Pete Polls, 45 percent of Floridians say they would vote for Rep. Crist, while 44 percent say they would vote for DeSantis. Though Crist’s lead falls within the poll’s margin of error of ±1.6 percent, it is the first time he has gained the lead over the incumbent Republican. 11 percent are still undecided.
46 percent of independents prefer Crist while just 40 percent would vote for DeSantis.
DeSantis has a slight lead on Democratic Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried in the poll. 45 percent they would vote for DeSantis while 42 percent they would back Fried. 13 percent of respondents were undecided in the match up between DeSantis and Fried.
DeSantis’ approval rating is also underwater. 44 percent of Florida voters saying they approve of the job he is doing, while 49 percent said they disapprove of his job performance.Â
Independent voters broke against him, with 39 percent saying they approve of his job performance, and 51 percent saying they do not approve.
Meanwhile, 49 percent of Floridians approve of the job Joe Biden is doing as president while 46 percent disapprove.
The poll comes as Florida emerged as the new epicenter of the COVID outbreak in the country. Cases and hospitalizations have risen sharply in the past month in the state fueled by the highly transmissible delta variant. The state is responsible for 20 percent of all new COVID infections in the country and now has the highest number of COVID-19 hospitalizations per capita, according to the Associated Press
Despite this, DeSantis has continued to fight health recommendations from the CDC to contain the virus, like mask mandates and lockdowns.
Last week the governor signed an executive order banning schools from mandating masks, a move Floridians are against.
According to the poll, 62 percent of Floridians believe that students should be required to wear masks when school reopens later this month, while 32 percent oppose children wearing masks.
The poll was conducted Monday and Tuesday among 3,952 likely Florida voters through an automated phone call polling system.
