Democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden is leading President Donald Trump in a new poll released Tuesday of likely Florida voters conducted by the University of North Florida’s Public Opinion Research Lab.
The survey, done after the first presidential debate but before President Trump’s announcement of his COVID-19 diagnosis, found 51% said they would vote for Biden while 45% said they would vote for Trump with 3% unsure.
See Also: UNF Poll Results
”This large six point gap between the candidates is likely attributed to the immediate aftermath of the debate. However, this is Florida, and I expect the election results to be very close once all the votes are counted,” said UNF Public Opinion Research Lab Director Michael Binder in an email to WJCT News.
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The pollsters asked 3,142 registered likely voters a wide range of questions, including several about the coronavirus.
When asked which impacts of the coronavirus pandemic they were most concerned about, 57% said the public health impacts, while 43% said the economic impacts.
Fifty-two percent said Florida is easing social distancing restrictions too quickly, with 15% saying Florida’s government was going too slow and 32% saying the state's response has been about right.
“Even though Florida has ended most COVID-19 restrictions, voters are still concerned about the virus,” Binder said.
When asked about how the Supreme Court opening created by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg should be handled, 52% said they would like the candidate who wins the presidential election to nominate a justice after being sworn in, while 42% said they would like to see the Senate confirm President Trump’s nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, before the election.
Voters were also asked questions about whether the support the amendments on the ballot in Florida and for their opinions about racial equality and immigration.
UNF said the the poll’s margin of error is +/-1.8 percentage points.
Bill Bortzfield can be reached at bbortzfield@wjct.org or on Twitter at @BortzInJax.
