Republican governor Rick Scott is ahead of Democratic senator Bill Nelson by a slim margin in the Florida Senate race, according to a new survey from St. Pete Polls. It’s the first poll of the contest since the devastating Hurricane Michael ravaged the state, and Scott leads Nelson 48.6 to 47.2 percent.
Sixty-one percent of respondents said they approve of the way Scott has handled hurricane response, while 21 percent say they disapprove and 18 percent say they’re unsure. Of those who have already voted early in the Senate race, 62 percent say they approve of the governor’s response.
Meanwhile, the state’s gubernatorial contest also appears to be close: Tallahassee mayor Andrew Gillum is ahead of Republican congressman Ron DeSantis by just over one percentage point, 47 to 45.9 percent. Only 44.4 percent of those surveyed said they approve of how the Democratic mayor has handled the response to Hurricane Michael, while a little over 30 percent say they disapprove.
Just under a quarter of survey respondents said they have already voted in the election.