The anemic approval rating of Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) may catch up to him when he’s up for re-election next year and a Republican apostate could be the one to capitalize, according to the latest survey from Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling released Wednesday.
Fifty-seven percent of Florida voters disapprove of the job Scott is doing — a continuation of the low popularity that has dogged him his entire first term in office. Only 33 percent approve of Scott’s performance as governor.
Moreover, the poll showed Scott trailing in four of the six hypothetical gubernatorial matchups tested by PPP. Charlie Crist, a former GOP governor of the Sunshine State who joined the Democratic Party last month, would defeat Scott by 14 points, according to PPP. Crist, who campaigned on behalf of President Barack Obama during the 2012 election, is enormously popular among Florida Democrats. Seventy-three percent of Democratic voters in the state have a favorable opinion of Crist and 52 percent would prefer to see him as the party’s gubernatorial nominee in 2014.
The PollTracker Average captures Scott’s longstanding weak approval rating among his Florida constituents.
