Gov. Rick Scott still lags former Gov. Charlie Crist 47 – 37 percent in his 2014 reelection bid, compared to his 16-point deficit in March, and gets his best job approval rating so far, according to a just-released Quinnipiac University poll released Tuesday.
Crist, the Republican-turned independent-turned Democrat led Scott by 50 – 34 percent, in a March 20 survey by the independent Quinnipiac University.
Voters are divided 43 – 44 percent in their job approval for Scott, his highest approval rating since he was elected and up from a negative 36 – 49 percent score March 20.
Voters still say 50 – 35 percent that Scott does not deserve to be reelected, but that also is his best score so far on that question, better than the 55 – 32 percent ‘no’ vote in March.
“It is an indication of how far down Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s numbers have been that he can take some solace from a poll that finds him losing by 10 points to his predecessor in the governor’s office,” said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. “In addition to cutting the deficit between himself and former Gov. Charlie Crist, Gov. Scott sees his tepid job approval and favorability numbers and his still-negative reelection numbers as notably improved.”
“Now that doesn’t mean that happy days are here again for the governor, but if he is going to make a comeback these are the kind of steps that would be required. Whether it is the start of something larger, we’ll see in the coming months,” Brown added.
By 48 – 31 percent Florida voters have a favorable opinion of Crist, virtually unchanged.
One reason that Scott may be edging up in the voters’ eyes is that by 33 – 18 percent voters say the state’s economy is getting better, compared to 31 – 21 percent who felt that way in March. Among those who see an improving economy 65 percent give at least a little credit to President Barack Obama, while 82 percent credit Scott.
“The governor needs to make voters believe he is responsible for a better economy. That’s the key to his electoral future. He isn’t going to get re-elected because he is Mr. Personality. He needs to essentially convince voters, ‘You may not like me, but I’m the guy who is making things better,'” Brown said.
From June 11 – 16, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,176 registered voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.9 percentage points.
