The new Rasmussen poll of Florida shows Republican-turned-independent Gov. Charlie Crist taking a narrow lead in the three-way Senate race since he bolted the GOP.
The numbers: Crist 38%, Republican Marco Rubio 34%, and Democrat Kendrick Meek 17%. The survey of likely voters has a ±4.5% margin of error. The TPM Poll Average has Crist ahead with 37%, followed by Rubio at 31.9%, and Meek with 17.2%.
Two weeks ago, before Crist officially left the Republican Party to run as an independent, Rubio led with 37%, with Crist at 30% and Meek at 22%. The big question is whether this is just a temporary bump, with Crist benefitting from the publicity of his party switch and Meek losing support, or if it will be a long-lasting change to the nature of the race.
