The University of North Florida (UNF) released a poll of Florida voters on Thursday which finds the Sunshine State’s two U.S. senators are both in solid shape.
A year after he defeated U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., is approved by almost half of those surveyed. While 49 percent of Florida voters approve of Scott, around a third–32 percent–disapprove of him. Scott is approved by most Florida Republicans–77 percent–while 28 percent of Democrats approve of him. Voters outside the major parties are more divided but Scott does well here with 42 percent of them approving of him, 29 percent disapproving of him and 29 percent of them not sure.
While in slightly worse shape than his colleague, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio’s, R-Fla., numbers are close to Scott’s. Rubio is approved by 48 percent of Florida voters while 32 percent disapprove of him. Most Republicans–76 percent–approve of Rubio while 26 percent of Democrats approve of the senator. Rubio is approved by 42 percent of voters outside the major parties while 31 percent disapprove of him.
The poll of 669 registered Florida voters was taken from Oct. 14 through Oct. 20 and had a margin of error of +/- 3.8 percent.
After serving in the Florida House, where he capped his last term by being elected speaker, Rubio was first elected to the Senate in 2010. He won a second term in 2016 after a bid for the Republican presidential nomination. If he decides to run for a third term, Rubio faces the voters again in 2022.
Scott burst onto the Florida political scene in 2010 after a successful career in business. He was elected governor and was reelected four years later. Last year, he defeated Nelson and will face voters again in 2024 if he runs for a second term.
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