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POLITICS

Election 2012: Florida Senate

Florida Senate: Nelson (D) 49%, Mack (R) 46%

Incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson holds just a three-point lead now in Florida’s U.S. Senate race.

A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Florida Voters shows Nelson with 49% support to 46% for his Republican challenger, Congressman Connie Mack.  Two percent (2%) like some other candidate, and three percent (3%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)  

This race now moves from leans Democrat to a Toss-Up in the Rasmusssen Reports Senate Balance of Power rankings. 

A week ago, Nelson posted a 48% to 43% lead. Nelson’s support has ranged from 47% to 52% in surveys since August, while Mack has earned 40% to 46% of the vote in that period.

Mitt Romney still holds a small lead over President Obama in the Sunshine State. 

Florida allows early voting, and 23% of the state’s likely voters have already cast their ballots. Nelson leads 55% to 41% among these voters.

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The survey of 750 Likely Voters in Florida was conducted on October 25, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Mack leads by eight points among male voters but trails by 12 among female voters. Voters not affiliated with either of the major political parties prefer the incumbent by a 58% to 32% margin.

Nelson, who is seeking a third six-year term in the Senate, is viewed favorably by 49% of Florida voters and unfavorably by 43%. This includes 29% with a Very Favorable opinion of him and 27% with a Very Unfavorable one.

Forty-seven percent (47%) share a favorable opinion of Mack, a member of Congress since 2005, while 43% regard him unfavorably. He’s viewed Very Favorably by 22% and Very Unfavorably by 27%.

Sixteen percent (16%) of Florida voters describe the U.S. economy as good or excellent, but 48% think it’s in poor shape. Thirty-five percent (35%) say the economy is getting better, while 43% believe it’s getting worse.

Elections for 33 U.S. Senate seats will be held in November. See the latest numbers in Arizona, Connecticut, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

Forty-eight percent (48%) of Florida voters now approve of the job Republican Governor Rick Scott is doing, while another 48% disapprove. This includes Strong Approval from 20% and Strong Disapproval from 31%.

Additional information from this survey and a full demographic breakdown are available to Platinum Members only.

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The survey of 750 Likely Voters in Florida was conducted on October 25, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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