Rubio edges Demings by 2 points in new Florida Senate poll

Incumbent Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) leads his Democratic challenger, Rep. Val Demings, by 2 percentage points, according to a Civiqs poll released on Thursday.

The poll found 49 percent of likely voters expressed support for Rubio, compared to 47 percent support for Demings.

A majority of independents — 55 percent — favored Rubio, while 37 percent indicated they would vote for Demings.

Rubio also holds a 10-point lead among suburban voters and a 1-point lead among rural voters, while Demings carries urban voters by 14 points.

Republicans, who have held the seat since 2005 under three different senators, appear favored to win the race in November. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the contest as “lean Republican.”

But Democrats have been optimistic about Demings’s chances to unseat Rubio. The Florida Democrat easily won her primary with little opposition.

A USA Today-Suffolk University poll released on Wednesday recorded a 4-point lead for Rubio.

In the new Civiqs poll, both Demings and Rubio’s favorability ratings clocked in underwater.

Forty-one percent of likely Florida voters viewed Rubio favorably, compared to 51 percent who viewed him unfavorable. 

Demings received a favorable rating from 40 percent of respondents, compared to 47 percent who expressed an unfavorable opinion. Thirteen percent were unsure.

The poll also found the Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) leads his reelection race by 7 percentage points against Democratic nominee Charlie Crist.

Fifty-two percent of likely voters expressed support for DeSantis, compared to 45 percent support for Crist. 

DeSantis also clocked in as the most popular politician in the state, with his favorability rating 14 percentage points higher than Crist’s.

The poll was conducted from Sept. 17 to Sept. 20 online through interviews with 617 likely voters in Florida. Civiqs weighted the results by factors like age, race and party identification, and the margin of error is plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.