U.S. Senate candidates Connie Mack, left, and Bill Nelson. Photo: Robert Duyos
Independents favor current Sen. Bill Nelson to win the Florida Senate Race. According to Public Policy Polling, Sen. Nelson is winning independent voters 51 percent to 36 percent, as of last week.
Both the Public Policy poll and the Rasmussen Report have Democratic incumbent Nelson taking the lead over Mack. Voters not affiliated with either of the major political parties prefer Nelson by a 58 to 32 percent margin, according to Rasmussen Report. Nearly a quarter of the state’s likely voters chose Nelson (55 to 41 percent) in early voting.
In a swing state, every vote is important and in an election year full of toss-ups, the swing states play a pivotal role in the outcome of the nation's elections. In the poll, 19 percent of respondents identified themselves as independents, a rather large percentage of the population that could decide the Florida Senate race. Many news outlets have claimed that it will be independents and women who decide such a close national election.
The polling showed that Nelson's approval rating is on positive ground for the first time in a while, at 44%. Only 36% of voters rated Mack favorably.
"This campaign kind of represents the new norm in electoral politics," Public Policy Polling stated. "Millions have been spent bashing the heck out of both candidates, so voters dislike both of them and are kind of just choosing the lesser of two evils. For now, that's Nelson."
Nelson has served six years as a member of the Florida Cabinet and then was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2000. His website claims that his priorities include privacy, preventing oil drilling off Florida's coast, ensuring veteran's benefits and access to quality health care, and fighting for Medicare prescription drug benefits for seniors.
Nelson voted for the 2009 stimulus package and Obamacare, both of which Mack opposed, demonstrating their stark differences on the issues.
Mack has been a representative for Florida's 14th district since 2004. His website states that his focus lies in working to promote freedom and stability throughout the region by leading the fight to have Venezuela named a state sponsor of terrorism, pushing for the enactment of the pending free trade agreements with Panama, Colombia, and South Korea, and strongly supporting efforts to preserve free speech.
Independent voters have proven to be an important part of the elections this year, and will have a lot of influence this Tuesday in the infamously unpredictable Florida.