Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum, who serves as mayor of Tallahassee, leads Republican and former U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis in the race to become Florida’s next governor, a recent poll shows.
Gillum has taken a 54-45 percent lead among likely voters in the Florida governor’s race, the Quinnipiac University Poll released last week shows. That compares to a too-close-to-call outcome in a Sept. 4 survey that showed Gillum leading 50-47 percent.
Women and independent voters are driving Gillum’s lead. The poll shows that women back the Democrat 59-39 percent, with men divided at 51 percent for DeSantis and 48 percent for Gillum.
Independent voters overwhelmingly back Gillum 56-40 percent, the poll shows. Republicans back DeSantis 90-9 percent. And Gillum leads 96-2 percent among Democrats.
Black and Hispanic voters also contribute to the Democrat’s lead, as black voters support Gillum 98-2 percent and Hispanic voters support him 59-41 percent. White voters back DeSantis 53-45 percent, the poll shows.
Among Florida likely voters who name a candidate of choice, 94 percent say their mind is made up, the poll reveals.
“Former U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis appears to be outspending Mayor Andrew Gillum, his Democratic opponent, in television advertising by a sizable amount, usually a sign of a winning campaign,” said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll. “Yet, all these TV ads don’t seem to be helping DeSantis’ campaign. Those TV ads, run in an effort to introduce DeSantis to Florida voters, are airing at the same time his favorability numbers are sinking and Mayor Gillum’s are rising.”
Neither Gillum nor DeSantis are strangers to Florida’s Friendliest Hometown. In May, Gillum attended a Governor’s Forum sponsored by The Villages Democratic Club at the Savannah Center, along with challengers Chris King and Phillip Levine. He recounted his warm reception at a previous visit to the club and said as he travels the state, he talks about The Villages all the time.
“People are shocked and amazed that there are Democrats in The Villages. I have to show them the selfie I took with the large crowd behind me,” said Gillum, who is scheduled to speak to the club again on Oct. 13 at Savannah Center.
DeSantis also made a huge splash in the community when he made a campaign stop in July at a Villagers for Trump meeting. That appearance was on the eve of a rally he was attending in Tampa with President Trump and he had Villagers on their feet cheering throughout his 20-minute speech.
DeSantis clearly emerged as a favorite among area Republicans when he carried every precinct in the Sumter County portion of The Villages in the Aug. 28 primary election over his opponent, Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam.
That overwhelming victory, no doubt, was a factor in the decision to have DeSantis’ wife, Casey, visit to the Republican Federated Women of The Villages last month. During that appearance, she regaled the audience of nearly 100 Republican women with details from the campaign trail while also speaking about her husband’s strong support for law enforcement and his plans to strengthen vocational education across the Sunshine State.