A new poll released on Friday revealed that former House Speaker, Marco Rubio holds an 11-point lead over Governor Charlie Crist in the race for the Republican U.S. Senate nomination, a closer race than recent polls have indicated.
Conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling and Research, Inc., a Washington-based institution, the poll shows that among 400 likely Republican primary voters, 48 percent currently back Rubio while 37 percent favor Crist. Undecided voters among those polled amount to 15 percent.
The current 11 point advantage suggests a tightening of the race, as other polls, such as the Rasmussen Reports, have all shown Rubio leading Crist by more than 20 points over the past several weeks.
Meanwhile, some observers have suggested that the recent narrowing in the polls has come from closer scrutiny of Rubio and the recent revelations that he repeatedly violated ethics rules when serving as speaker in the Florida House.
The Mason-Dixon poll, conducted during March 23-March 25, also showed that both Crist and Rubio hold double-digit leads over Democrat Kendrick Meek. Crist tops Meek 50%-26%, while Rubio is ahead 44%-29%.
