Another Poll Shows Crist Trouncing Scott
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – If former Governor Charlie Crist runs for his old job as a Democrat against Republican Governor Rick Scott, Crist would trounce Scott by double-digits, according to the latest poll from Quinnipiac University.
According to the Q-Poll, Crist, as a Democrat, would beat Scott by a 50-34 percent margin among registered voters if the election was held today. In addition, Alex Sink, who lost to Scott in 2010, would also beat the GOP governor by a 45-34 percent margin if she chose to run.
Overall, the Q-Poll found Florida voters, by a 50-40 percent margin, believe Crist's switch from Republican to Democrat is a positive thing "that shows he is a pragmatists, rather than a negative thing that shows he lacks core beliefs."
The Q-Poll said that only 32 percent of voters believe Scott deserves a second term in office, including just 28 percent of independent voters. Scott's job approval in the poll is negative by a 36-49 percent margin.
"There isn't much good news in these numbers for Gov. Rick Scott, but there is some," said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "His large lead over Agriculture Secretary Adam Putnam in a hypothetical Republican primary gives him some solace that he does not have to worry about an intraparty challenge."
In a potential Crist-Scott matchup, Governor Scott carries Republicans 76 - 16 percent, but loses Democrats 81 - 7 percent. He also gets trounced by Crist in the crucial independent vote, 49 - 29 percent.
The poll also found that by a 50-40 percent margin, Florida voters backed the expansion of Medicaid as part of the Affordable Care Act. Governor Scott recently endorsed this position, but the Florida Legislature has opposed it because it's part of the law colloquially known as Obamacare.
The Q-poll found that voters disapproved of the job the state legislature is doing by a 52-25 margin.
The poll had a margin of error of +/- 3.1 points.
The Q-Poll followed the release of a separate poll on Tuesday that also showed Crist easily beating Scott in a potential gubernatorial matchup.
