Poll: Republican Scott leading Democrat Sink in tight Florida governor’s race; Obama a factor

Poll: GOP’s Scott leads Sink in Fla. governor race

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A new poll suggests Republican businessman Rick Scott is leading Democrat Alex Sink in the race to become Florida’s next governor.

A Quinnipiac University poll released Friday shows Scott favored by 49 percent of 1,151 likely voters to 43 percent who preferred Sink, the state’s chief financial officer. The survey was taken between Sept. 23 and 28 and it claims a margin of error of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.

Scott is a Naples multimillionaire who poured $50 million into winning the Republican nomination. The poll says he has a slight edge among women, a wider advantage among men and a double-digit lead among independents on economic issues.

The poll indicates that Sink is being hurt by President Barack Obama’s unfavorable job rating.