Here’s a fascinating take on new polling data from Florida by Politico‘s Tal Kopan, with the headline: “Gov. Rick Scott rebounding.”
Florida Gov. Rick Scott trails two potential 2014 challengers by 10 points in a new poll, but the numbers show the governor is closing the gap and his approval rating is the highest ever.
Forty percent of voters had a favorable opinion of Scott, his best rating since he was elected and up 7 points from March, according to the Quinnipiac poll on Tuesday.
Also trending up, 43 percent of those surveyed approved of the job Scott was doing as governor, the highest number he’s gotten so far, and up 7 points since March.
Though only 35 percent responded that Scott should be reelected compared with 50 percent who said he shouldn’t be, those numbers have also improved for Scott over the last six months.
In a 2014 election against former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, who has switched parties from Republican to Independent to Democrat, voters surveyed picked Crist over Scott, 47 percent to 37 percent. But the 10-point deficit is closer than in March, when the same poll found Crist leading by 16 points.
Tuesday’s poll also found Scott trailing potential Democratic challenger Sen. Bill Nelson, who has not declared a run, 48 percent to 38 percent.
Kopan’s right in all his comparisons, but you might think he’d use a term like “back from the political grave” rather than “rebounding” to describe Scott’s progress. In today’s hyper-polarized climate where it’s very difficult in a competitive state to drop below 45%, Scott’s numbers leave a lot to be desired. Guess he’s been down so far and so long it may look like up. Give the man a hug.
