PPP FL General Election Poll: Sink (D) 41% Scott (R) 34% Chiles (I) 8%

[WI_DEM]

(Note PPP was also the only poll released on election eve showing Scott would win the GOP Gov nomination) If Dems win FL governorship this is a major pick-up especially with redistricting.

Sink starts out ahead

Rick Scott's an unpopular candidate with a divided party and because of that Alex Sink begins the general election for Governor in Florida with a 7 point lead. Sink has 41% to 34% for Scott and 8% for Bud Chiles.

Sink is doing well because she has a higher degree of party unity than Scott does and because she's the favorite with independents. 72% of Democrats say they'll vote for Sink while only 57% of Republicans are committed to voting for Scott. Sink also has a 37-28 advantage with independents.

Scott has dreadful personal favorability numbers with 49% of voters holding an unfavorable opinion of him while only 28% see him favorably. His numbers are even worse with independents than they are with the population at large- a 54% majority of them see him in a negative light.

Sink is still largely unknown but she has good numbers with the people who do know her. 35% have a favorable opinion to 23% with a negative one. Scott's chances in the general election may rest on his ability to define her with the 42% of folks who have no opinion right now before she gets the chance to define herself.

Republicans hope that Bud Chiles will play a spoiler role for Sink's chances this fall but at this point he's actually getting 8% of GOP votes and only 6% of Democratic votes, suggesting that for now his presence in the race is hurting Scott.

This race is almost definitely going to tighten up. 22% of Republicans are undecided and only 11% of Democrats are so Scott has a lot of room to grow. Still Sink goes into the general election as the favorite and given that our March Florida poll found her trailing Bill McCollum 44-31, that's quite an amazing turn around.

One other note in closing the book on McCollum's candidacy- this poll found Sink would have started out with an 8 point lead against him so there's not a real strong argument that he would have been more electable. Republicans were going to have an uphill climb in this race regardless of who won the nomination.

http://publicpolicypolling.blogspot.com/

[aquart]

1. Okay, this assumes an accurate vote count.

Since this is Florida, I think that is a false assumption. Is the Florida Republican Party funded enough to falsify another election?

Remember, Jeb's sticky fingers are in this pie.

[WI_DEM]

2. Well they allowed Obama to win in '08

[monmouth]

3. Alex Sink is a very classy, articulate and very smart person. She

comes across exactly like that and is greatly admired not only by men, but women. I've heard her speak a couple of times quite a while back and was impressed with her "down to earth" manner. I can't imagine her having any problems.

[WI_DEM]

5. I agree.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

4. Wait To Folks Hear That Scott Took The Fifth In A Medicare Fraud Investigation

I am all for asserting your constitutional rights but I think that's a cloud that probably disqualifies you from higher office.

[tsuki]

6. Wait 'til they hear? I've been all over that one. "Hey, you're going to

have to take Medicare cuts? Scott's company had to pay Medicare back 1.7 billion for fraud. I wonder how much they really stole?"

Thanks for the 5th, guess I'll have to add that one in.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

7. I Wasn't Aware He Took The Fifth

That's Tony Sorprano stuff.