Campaign

Gillum holds razor-thin lead in Florida race

by Emily Birnbaum - 10/17/18 5:33 PM ET

Democrat Andrew Gillum (D) holds a razor-thin lead over former Rep. Ron DeSantis (R) in the upcoming Florida gubernatorial election, according to a new survey by St. Pete Polls.

Forty-seven percent of likely voters told pollsters they would vote for Gillum if the election was today, compared to the 45.9 percent who said they would back DeSantis. The 1.1 point lead was well within the 2.2 percent margin of error.

{mosads} The poll also showed 44 percent of voters said they approved of Gillum’s response to Hurricane Michael as mayor of Tallahassee, while 30.3 percent said they disapproved of how he handled the storm.

Hurricane Michael tore through Florida last week, killing more than 20 people and devastating infrastructure.

The poll also found the Florida senatorial race neck-and-neck, with 48.6 percent of voters supporting Gov. Rick Scott (R) and 47.2 percent standing with Sen. Bill Nelson (D).

Recent polls have found Gillum leading DeSantis by single-digits, including an NBC/Marist Poll that had Gillum up 5 points.

Gillum and DeSantis, who recently resigned his House seat to focus on the governor’s race, are running to replace outgoing Scott (R), who is term-limited.

The Cook Political Report rates the gubernatorial contest a “toss-up.”

If elected, Gillum would be the first black governor of Florida. DeSantis’s campaign has been rocked by allegations of racism, including a remark by the former congressman that Florida voters should not “monkey this up” by backing the African-American Tallahassee mayor.

The St. Pete Polls survey polled 1,974 likely Florida general election voters between Oct. 15-16.

Tags Bill Nelson Ron DeSantis