TALLAHASSEE, FL -- The latest independent poll from Quinnipiac University, released Wednesday, shows 65% of Floridians approve of the way Gov. Charlie Crist is handling his job.
A release from Quinnipiac describes the rating as "sky high," noting that he is as well liked among Florida voters as President Barack Obama.
The survey found that 67% of Floridians view Crist favorably, with only 21% viewing him unfavorably. Obama is viewed favorably by 66% of polled Floridians. The survey was completed on the eve of his inauguration.
The survey also found the 56% of Floridians believe Crist deserves a second term, and 47% say they would vote for him if he ran.
"No one has surfaced as a likely Democratic opponent for Gov. Charlie Crist and that's not surprising given how well he is thought of by Floridians," said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "It's impressive at this time of national Obamamania that Gov. Crist's favorability rating is slightly higher than that of the new President. Of course, it's still more than 21 months until the 2010 election, but Charlie Crist looks like a very strong candidate for re-election."
The poll also asked voters who they would support to fill Mel Martinez's seat in the U.S. Senate. Most of the potential candidates are unknown to most voters, but the poll found that if Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink decided to run, she would have a small early lead in the Democratic field. She would also run almost even with the best-known GOP potential candidate, Attorney General Bill McCollum, with 35% for Sink and 36% for McCollum.
McCollum holds a wide lead in name recognition among the GOP candidates, but U.S. Rep. Connie Mack IV, son of the former senator with the same name, runs closely to him in a trial heat of GOP contenders.
