New Florida Chamber Political Poll Shows Strengthening Voter Confidence & Governor Scott Outpaces Opponents in Head-to-Head Matches

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Edie Ousley, 850-521-1231 or 850-251-6261
eousley@flchamber.com

TALLAHASSEE, FL. (August 18, 2014) – While jobs and the economy continue to rank as top issues among Florida’s likely voters, the latest Florida Chamber Political Institute (FCPI) poll shows likely voters have a more positive view of the future and favor Governor Rick Scott in the state’s top leadership race.

“While top concerns for voters remain jobs and the economy, their support of Governor Scott is a signal they approve of his strong ability to create private-sector jobs,” said Marian Johnson, Senior Vice President of the Florida Chamber Political Institute. “This is evidenced by the fact that 43 percent of the voters believe Florida’s unemployment rate is lower since Rick Scott took office.”

Additional Polling Data Shows:

• Of the 627 Florida likely voters polled, 29 percent rank job creation and the economy as their top issues, and
• For six straight months, a plurality of voters believe the Sunshine State is headed in the right direction – 43 percent. (Based on Florida Chamber polling conducted in February 2014, June 2014 and August 2014.)

Governor Rick Scott’s job approval rating continues to remain positive, with 50 percent of likely voters approving of the job he’s doing. At the same time, Democrat gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist’s favorability continues to drop – down to 36 percent from 41 percent in June.

In Head-to-Head Matchups:

• Rick Scott vs. Charlie Crist: Scott earns 44 percent to Crist’s 41 percent.
• Rick Scott vs. Charlie Crist vs. Adrian Wyllie: Scott earns 41 percent, Crist gets 35 percent and Libertarian Adrain Wyllie earns 4 percent.

Crosstabs

“I believe a major reason Charlie Crist is visibly losing support is because voters are beginning to realize that Rick Scott’s private-sector pro-jobs plan is working and that Florida continues to move in the right direction,” said Mark Wilson, President and CEO of the Florida Chamber of Commerce.

On the national level, President Obama’s job approval rating remains upside down as 41 percent approved and 54 percent disapprove.

The poll, conducted on August 10-13, 2014 by Cherry Communications during live telephone interviews of likely voters, has a margin of error of +/- 4 percent.

Additional Results Show:

• Education, healthcare, and immigration round out the top three issues voters are most concerned about – 19 percent, 6 percent and 6 percent respectively.
• By a margin of 36 percent to 25 percent, voters believe they are financially better off than they were a year ago.

Please Note: The samples for the polls conducted by the Florida Chamber Political Institute are consistently drawn from likely voters, meaning those voters who have the propensity and past performance of voting in elections, rather than simply including registered voters. Voters are again screened for likelihood of voting.

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Established in 1916 as Florida’s first statewide business advocacy organization, the Florida Chamber of Commerce is the voice of business and the state’s largest federation of employers, chambers of commerce and associations, aggressively representing small and large businesses from every industry and every region. The Florida Chamber works within all branches of government to affect those changes set forth in the annual Florida Business Agenda, and which are seen as critical to secure Florida’s future. The Florida Chamber works closely with its Political Operations and the Florida Chamber Foundation. Visit www.FloridaChamber.com for more information.