Trump, Clinton running even in battleground Florida

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are running neck and neck in the presidential battleground state of Florida, a new poll finds.

A Public Policy Polling (PPP) survey of Florida released Wednesday shows Trump (R) edging Clinton (D) among likely voters, 44 percent to 43 percent, in a five-way race that includes Libertarian Gary Johnson, Green Party nominee Jill Stein and independent candidate Evan McMullin.

Johnson takes 5 percent support in that match-up, with Stein and McMullin each taking 1 percent support. Six percent said they’re undecided.

In a head-to-head match-up, Clinton has the slight edge, 47 to 46 percent. Seven percent said they’re undecided in the two-person race.

Florida’s 29 electoral votes make it the biggest battleground prize.

The Republican and Democratic candidates have split Florida in the last six presidential elections, with the winner going on to the White House in every instance but one.

Clinton is crushing Trump in Florida among nonwhite voters by 49 points, 71 percent to 22 percent.

Trump, however, has the advantage among the white voters who make up a majority in the state, 60 percent to 33 percent.

There are similarly large disparities between young and old voters in the state. Those under 45 back Clinton 57 percent to 31 percent margin, and those over 65 favor Trump, 59 percent to 39 percent.

In the state’s Senate contest, the poll shows incumbent Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) with a slight advantage over Rep. Patrick Murphy (D), 40 percent to 37 percent. Surprisingly, the Libertarian candidate, Paul Stanton, has 10 percent support in that race.

Rubio’s job approval rating is underwater in the poll, at 35 percent positive and 45 percent negative. Murphy, meanwhile, is largely unknown, with 47 percent saying they don’t know enough about him to have an opinion.

Many political watchers believe Rubio is eyeing another presidential run in 2020, which is hurting his favorability rating. Sixty-percent of Florida voters say the candidates should commit to serving a full six-year term.

The PPP survey of 744 likely voters in Florida was conducted Sept. 4–6 and has a 3.6 percentage point margin of error.