Poll: Nelson leads Scott by 6 points in Florida Senate race

Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) holds a 6-point lead over Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) in the state’s U.S. Senate race with roughly two weeks to go until Election Day, according to a poll released Monday.

A Quinnipiac University poll found that Nelson holds a 52 percent to 46 percent lead over Scott among likely voters in the state. His lead has dwindled by 1 point compared to a Quinnipiac poll released in late September.

The poll showed Nelson holding a 20-point advantage among likely women voters, or leading Scott by 59-39 percent.

{mosads}Black voters in Florida favor the incumbent by a massive tally of 94 percent to 3 percent, the poll found, while Hispanic voters support Nelson by a 20-point margin.

Scott holds a lead among white voters, 53 percent to 44 percent. Male likely voters also favor the governor, 54 percent to 44 percent.

While each candidate fares well with their respective party, independent voters surveyed support Nelson 60 percent to 38 percent, according to the poll.

The poll was conducted from Oct. 17-21, and surveyed 1,161 likely voters in Florida. It has a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points.

Monday’s Quinnipiac poll provides a wider margin for Nelson than most other polls, which show a tight race between the candidates.

A RealClearPolitics average of polls shows the senator with a 2.4 percentage point lead, and a St. Pete poll released earlier on Monday gave Scott an edge of less than 1 percentage point.

The Cook Political Report rates the Florida race as a “toss-up.”

The Florida Senate race is one of a handful of key upcoming elections that will determine control of the Senate. Republicans are hoping to add to their current 51-49 majority by picking up a seat in Florida, which President Trump won in 2016 by roughly 120,000 votes.