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Latest Q Poll: Florida Governor's Race Close As Can Be

Scott (left) and Crist (right) each have 42 percent support, which is statistically the same as the results of a September Q Poll.
Scott (left) and Crist (right) each have 42 percent support, which is statistically the same as the results of a September Q Poll.
Scott (left) and Crist (right) each have 42 percent support, which is statistically the same as the results of a September Q Poll.
Scott (left) and Crist (right) each have 42 percent support, which is statistically the same as the results of a September Q Poll.

The Florida governor’s race could not be any closer between Gov. Rick Scott and former Gov. Charlie Crist. Today’s poll results from Quinnipiac University show the Republican and Democrat each with 42 percent support from likely voters.

Which man becomes the next Florida governor will depend mostly on whose party can do the best job turning out voters. That’s according to Quinnipiac University Poll Assistant Director Peter Brown. He says the latest poll, taken the second and third week in October, also shows support for Libertarian candidate AdrianWylliehas fallen from 9 percent to 7 percent.

Brown says, “If it gets down to 5 or 4 percent who vote for Mr. Wyllie, that’s going to be another point or two that someone else, either Crist or Scott, is going to get. And in a race this close, that could be all the difference.”

Brown says overwhelmingly negative campaign ads have contributed to voters’ negative favorability ratings for the neck-and-neck front runners. And he says that means Floridians feel they’re choosing the lesser of two evils.

Copyright 2014 WFSU

Jessica Palombo supervises local news gathering and production, podcasts and web editorial content for WJCT News, ADAPT and Jacksonville Today. She is an award-winning writer and journalist with bylines including NPR, Experience Magazine, and The Gainesville Sun. She has a master’s degree in broadcast and digital journalism from Syracuse University and is an alumna of the University of Florida. A nearly lifelong resident of Jacksonville, she considers herself lucky to be raising her own children in her hometown. Follow Jessica Palombo on Twitter: @JaxJessicaP