@MarcACaputo
Politico got its hands on an internal poll from Gov. Rick Scott's campaign that showed he trails former Gov. Charlie Crist 49-45 percent.
But didn't Quinnipiac University just find Crist ahead by 7, so isn't Scott narrowing the gap?
Well, we don't know. These are two different polls with two different respondent types.
Quinnipiac polled registered voters. Fabrizio Mclaughlin, which polls for the governor, surveyed likely voters (whether they're self-identified voters or voters called from a likely voter list is unclear). Likely voter polls will tend to lean more Republican because Republican voters often proportionally outperform Democrats when it comes election time.
Also, it should be noted that the poll was taken at the most-favorable time for a Republican this year: late November, at the height (or depths?) of President Obama's unpopularity and Democratic woes.
Scott’s job approval rating is 46 percent, with 48 percent disapproving. Crist has a mixed, albeit slightly positive image: 47 percent view him favorably, compared to 43 percent who view him unfavorably.
The incumbent governor has the advantage on six: controlling state spending (+14), reducing taxes (+12), balancing the state budget (+9), turning Florida’s economy around (+5), standing up to Tallahassee insiders (+3) and creating jobs (+2). Crist has a single-digit advantage on four measures: cares about people like me (+8), is the most honest and ethical (+4), “someone I trust to be governor” (+3) and “shares my beliefs and values” (+2).
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