Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R) leads Rep. Val Demings (D-FL-10) by two points in a hypothetical head-to-head general election poll for the 2022 Senate election.
According to a poll from St. Pete Polls, Rubio leads 48 percent to 46 percent. However, the results are still within the 2.2 percent margin of error. The poll consisted of just over 2,000 registered Florida voters.
The poll indicates the race between Rubio and the Democratic opponent will be an expensive, close race. Former Congressman Alan Grayson entered the race on August 16, and the poll was conducted from August 16-17.
The poll consisted of 778 Democrats, 802 Republicans, and 488 Independents. Each candidate easily attracted approximately 80 percent of their party’s preference, but the challenge will come attracting the Independent and no-party-affiliated vote, which remains highly split.
Rubio and Demings each received approximately 46 percent of the voters’ preference.
Of the ethnic groups surveyed, Demings, who is black, would have pulled nearly 80 percent of the black vote, while each of the other ethnicities would have favored Rubio.
Based on gender, Rubio would have won the female vote, while Demings would have won the male vote.
By age, Rubio performed best with the oldest demographic (70+) and the youngest (18-29) demographic, while Demings would have attracted voters aged 30-69.
Florida’s Senate race will likely be one of the most hotly contested races in the country with Republicans looking to gain seats back in both chambers of Congress. The Senate is currently split 50-50, while Republicans are ambitious to gain House seats back from the Democratic majority, especially with Florida gaining another congressional district based on the 2020 Census data.
The Republican leadership in Florida, who will be handling the redistricting process, said they are hoping for a seamless, transparent process outside of political partisanship.
“The House continues to strongly recommend that planned or unplanned conversations about redistricting not take place outside of the committee process with individuals who have a vested interest in the outcomes of the redistricting process,” said Florida House Speaker Chris Sprowls (R-65).
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Grant Holcomb is a reporter at the Florida Capital Star and The Star News Network. Follow Grant on Twitter and direct message tips.
Photo “Marco Rubio” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0. Photo “Val Demings” by Val Demings. Background Photo “Senate” by Cliff. CC BY 2.0.
Rubio Leads in Early Florida Senate Race Poll added by Grant Holcomb on
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I was once an admirer of Rubio, but he lost me when he caved in to the Trump cult. I don’t live in Florida, but If I did I would vote for Demings.
if these comments are a testament to anything it is the ignorance that is running rampant in this country, especially in the south
If Rubio wants my vote he needs to drop the push for red flag laws and the like. Stand for the Second Amendment or take a hike. Why oh why do we not primary these weak “leaders”? I won’t vote for any democrat for the foreseeable future, but tighten up Rubio.
I always have to hold my nose to vote for Little Marco….but no way I’m ever voting for a Democrat again. Look at the mess our Country is in and it is all thanks to Democrats. And I would never vote for any candidate that voted for Sleepy Joe Biden.
What Mike L said… except that it must be the 4th or 5th time by now.
Where are the real, true blue Republicans (with $$$) to challenge these weasels, neo-cons, crony socialists, & RINOs like McConnell, Romney, Collins, Cheney in the primaries & defeat the Illiberal Leftists/ Reds in November?
Yahoo just posted an Article with the Headline: “Florida is the only state where more people are dying of COVID now than ever before. What went wrong?” …………………What went wrong is Hiden Biden has been importing Thousands of illegals into Florida and many of them HAVE Covid. That is why Florida has Spiked.
Rubio has a large base of people who trust him because of their situations regarding immigration and it will reverberate a million times more because of the botched Biden Administration.
And for those of you who are saying Marco has been in there too long or he didn’t stick up for Trump, let me ask you this question… Do you want to vote for someone who is in the party that is the cause of the chaos we are now in?
Crist, Fried, and Demings made a critical campaign mistake. They should have waited to run when the seat was vacant. Opposing an incumbent they will lose. Not only that with the botched Biden Administration their campaigns are already over.
Marco Rubio will win this election resoundingly… And he deserves it.
Gillum by 5.
Rubio has been in too long. Give someone else a chance.
@ Mike L… I can’t disagree with your premise on the Rube and the rest of the Establishment Republican clowns in DC. In my opinion, the entirety of DC needs to be flushed of any politician or bureaucrat that has been there more than 8-years. There is no longer a two-party system in DC… they are simply two sides of the same corrupt and dysfunctional coin. It’s not about red or blue… it’s about green, and how much of ours they can get their greedy little digits on. This is why the Dementia Joe Biden Sadministration has, and will continue to, brazenly violate our laws, dismiss the SCOTUS rulings, ignore our Constitution, and continue with they wholesale Dereliction of Duty. That no one in DC whether they be R, D, or otherwise has moved to Impeach this Sadministration – or at the very least moved to invoke the 25th Amendment on this senile clown – is wholly inexcusable and borders systemic treason. Sadly, Val “Lemming” will simply fall right in line. Our Founders knew we’d be here in about 250 years… and here we are.
Term Limits for every elected local, state and federal office is the only way to stem the destructive path this Great Republic is on… and may God continue to bless and protect America, Her true President, Her Constitution, Her Laws, Her Sovereignty, and Her People.
Marco only pretends to be conservative around election time. I won’t be fooled a second time, I may just vote for Val Deming’s out of pure spite for the way the GOP, especially lil Marco, treated President Trump.
The fact that the GOP could only get 16 of its Senators to sign a letter demanding Biden pull out all the stops to rescue every last American in Afghanistan is all you need to know about that party.
Agree that all early polls are totally useless and are attempts to influence the vote along with providing news outlets bogus information in order to fill out their publications and appear relevant.
Rubio has never gotten over the beat down Trump put on him in the 2015 – 2016 debates. He seems to have tried but he is incapable of separating the knock down – drag out fight for the White House from his own ego. Let it go already Marco and become a better person for it. However Rubio so far is a proven winner in his district and Demmings can spend gobs of money to defeat Rubio and in the end, without Demmings cheating, Rubio will once again prevail.
Vernon is 100% correct! The St. Pete poll is useless.
In other news… The Leon County Democratic party executive committee censures State Attorney Jack Campbell… For his inappropriate rant last Sunday at the Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce Amelia Island junket against an elected official / private business owner.
I commend the Leon Dems for taking action on this issue. Hopefully, this will be the last term in office for State Attorney Jack Campbell. That is if he is not removed from office and disbarred before the next election. Again, thank you Leon Democratic Party executive committee.
Polls 15 months ahead of an election are entirely useless, but the ones conducted by St. Pete Polls are useless even up to election day as they are generally democrat biased. If they have the democrat and republican candidate polling about the same….then the republican will usually be up by 8-10 points.