Final Florida Governor Polls Show Andrew Gillum Growing Lead, Could Be Poised To Make History
As Election Day arrives, the final polls for the Florida governor’s race show that Andrew Gillum could be poised to make history.
The Tallahassee mayor is looking to become the state’s first-ever black governor, and polls released in the days leading up to Election Day have shown him moving into a small but consistent lead over Republican Ron DeSantis. As NBC Miami reported, the final two polls released for the race both show good signs for Gillum.
One of those, a poll from NBC News/Marist found that Gillum reached the 50 percent support mark, leading DeSantis 50 to 46. Another poll from Quinnipiac University poll showed that Gillum had 50 percent to 43 percent for DeSantis.
As NBC Miami reported, Andrew Gillum appears to be building a winning coalition in the Sunshine State.
“Gillum, who is seeking to become the state’s first black governor as well as the first Democrat to win the office in two decades, and Nelson both hold leads among Independents as well as minority and female voters while both DeSantis and Scott have an edge among white and male voters along with senior citizens in the state.”
The final polls in the Florida governor’s race seem to reflect Donald Trump’s popularity in the state, the report added. DeSantis has tied his campaign heavily in with Trump, even releasing television ads where he teaches his children Trump’s policies and catchphrases. Trump has also come to the state to stump for DeSantis. But voters in Florida have soured on Trump, with his favorability dropping to 46 percent in a state he won in 2016.
Andrew Gillum up among likely voters in new poll https://t.co/lmpQVs0Z07
— Socorro Ramos-Aviles (@SRAviles2017) November 6, 2018
As CBS News noted, the Florida governor’s race has been especially contentious, with accusations that Ron DeSantis has used racially charged language. Just after Gillum’s shocking win in the Democratic primary, DeSantis said the black mayor would “monkey this up” if he were to become governor. There are stark differences between the candidates as well, with DeSantis vowing to implement Donald Trump’s policies across the state and Gillum pushing progressive policies like instituting Medicare-for-All and abolishing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Per the Inquisitr, experts say the final polls in the Florida governor’s race could underestimate the biggest force in the race — independent voters. Polling has been inconsistent on this voting bloc, with some showing Gillum with a large lead among those who do not identify with either the Republican or Democratic Parties and others have DeSantis with a small advantage. These voters will likely determine who is elected the next governor, experts predict.
