Republican candidates Charlie Crist and Tom Gallagher have opened leads over potential Democratic challengers in the race to succeed Jeb Bush as Governor of Florida.

Attorney General Charlie Crist (R) leads Congressman Jim Davis (D) by five percentage points, 42% to 37%.

Davis trails the other potential GOP candidate, Tom Gallagher, by an even wider margin, 44% to 34%.

With Rod Smith as the Democrats' nominee, Crist leads 45% to 33% and Gallagher holds a 45% to 32% advantage.

Still, with none of the candidates earning more than 45% of the vote at this early point in the campaign season, this race is destined to be competitive.

Related data shows that Senator Bill Nelson (D) still leads Congresswoman Katherine Harris in his bid for re-election. Harris, however, has solidified her support among Republicans.

Of the four candidates, Crist has the highest name recognition and is the only one to reach the 50% level of favorability. For Crist, the numbers are 50% favorable and 31% unfavorable.

Visit our Election Polls page to see a summary of our latest state-by state polling. Rasmussen Reports is polling every Senate and Governors' race at least once a month this year.

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