Florida - Tuesday October 11, 2022: A poll conducted prior to Hurricane Ian shows incumbent republican Governor Ron DeSantis with an 11-point lead over his democratic rival Charlie Crist.
The Jacksonville-based pollster Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy, surveyed 800 registered and likely Florida voters between September 26 and 28.
52% said they would vote for DeSantis in the General Election. 41% said they'd cast their ballots for Crist.
DeSantis leads throughout the state, according to the poll results, with the exception of traditionally democratic southwest Florida.
DeSantis is supported by:
* 60% of men
* 62% of white voters
* 56% of those aged 50 and up
* 92% of republicans
Among unaffiliated voters DeSantis was favored by 52% compared to 39% for Crist.
The poll also found that DeSantis had a 55% job approval rating in September, although 42% said they disapprove of his performance. Six percent of voters said they don’t know who Charlie Crist is.
Six -percent said they still haven’t decided whether to vote for DeSantis, Crist or a third-party challenger.
The poll had a 3.5 percentage point margin of error.
Hurricane Ian is likely to have an impact on DeSantis' lead according to the the poll report which states: "It will be important to see if (DeSantis) can maintain or improve (his lead) in the coming weeks, as his leadership will be tested by state attempts to repair and recover from the damage."