Trump leads Biden by 8 points in Florida in new Florida Atlantic University survey

Former President Donald Trump (L) and President Joe Biden (R) | Getty Images

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Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump continues to hold a strong lead over President Joe Biden in a new survey of Florida registered voters.

The poll of 865 adults from the Florida Atlantic University Political Communication and Public Opinion Research Lab and Mainstreet Research released on Thursday shows Trump with 50% support, while 42% support Biden. Another 5% prefer other candidates, while 3% remain undecided.

When independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is included in the mix, Trump’s lead goes to 10 points, with the former president at 48% support, Biden 38%, and Kennedy Jr. with 7%.

In the U.S. Senate contest, which will likely have GOP incumbent Rick Scott facing off against former Democratic U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, Scott has a 16-point lead, 51%-35%. That’s more than twice the margin of an Emerson College Poll released last week, which showed Scott up by 7 percentage points.

The data reflect responses from all voters surveyed.

The poll shows that while Democrats are pushing abortion rights as a leading issue in this election year in Florida, it is not the top issue among all voters. That would be immigration at 25%, followed by the economy (22%) and the cost of living (15%). Abortion is the fourth leading issue at 13%.

Republicans prioritize immigration at 40% while Democrats are more focused on abortion at 25%.

“Partisan differences on immigration and abortion reflect campaign priorities not only of their presidential nominees, but for Republican state officials in Florida as well,” said Aaron Veenstra, associate professor of journalism at FAU, in a statement accompanying the poll results.

The survey shows both high-profile constitutional issues that will be on the ballot this fall are far short of the 60% threshold they need to win approval in November.

Amendment 3, which would legalize recreational cannabis, gets 47% support, while 35% oppose it and 18% say they don’t know.

On Amendment 4, the abortion rights measure, 49% say they support the measure, 19% oppose, but 32% say they don’t know. Similar polls taken in recent weeks also show nearly a third of voters have not decided how they’ll vote.

The survey includes a question about the 2026 gubernatorial race, but only for two candidates: Panhandle Congressman Matt Gaetz and First Lady Casey DeSantis. DeSantis leads Gaetz, 38%-16%, but 20% say they would prefer another candidate and 26% say they don’t know.

The poll was conducted from April 15-17 of 865 adults 18 or older living in Florida. The margin of error is +/-3.3%.

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