Congressman and Florida gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds (R-FL), along with Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Jolly, are ahead in their respective primary races for governor, according to a Mason-Dixon Florida poll released this week.
However, the primary lead varies, with Rep. Donalds having the support of 37% of GOP voters, well ahead of Lt. Gov Jay Collins (7%), former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner (4%), and businessman James Fishback (3%).
Forty-nine percent of GOP respondents are still undecided on the field.
In addition, Rep. Donalds has far more positive name recognition (52%) than his Republican opponents, which is often a key factor in establishing frontrunner status. His unfavorable name recognition (3%) is also fairly similar to that of his opponents, and more so when you include his favorable recognition status.
While Donalds' overall lead is fairly substantial, it is still very early in the race, given Lt. Gov Collins just entered the fray this week. The primary election is Aug. 18, while the general election is Nov. 3.
Results from Mason-Dixon's Republican name recognition are below:
Recognize Favorable: Donalds 52% - Collins 11% - Renner 9% - Fishback 5%
Recognize Unfavorable: Donalds 3% - Collins 1% - Renner 1% - Fishback 4%
Recognize Neutral: Donalds 17% - Collins 15% - Renner 16% - Fishback 10%
Don't Recognize: Donalds 28% - Collins 73% - Renner 74% - Fishback 81%
On the other side, David Jolly's lead is a bit more dicey. The former Republican congressman holds a 23%-19% edge over Democratic opponent and Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings.
Similar to the GOP, 58% of registered Democrats are undecided on their nominee. However, unlike Donalds, David Jolly's lead is a bit more cautious, given the margin.
Moreover, Jolly and Demings' positive name recognition is fairly similar (19% to 15%), along with their unfavorable name recognition (4% to 2%).
Results from Mason-Dixon's Democratic name recognition are below:
Recognize Favorable: Jolly 19% - Demings 15%
Recognize Unfavorable: Jolly 4% - Demings 2%
Recognize Neutral: Jolly 22%, Demings 23%
Don't Recognize: Jolly 55%, Demings 60%
Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy, Inc. (Jacksonville) conducted two separate statewide samples of 400 registered Republican voters and 400 registered Democratic voters via telephone from Jan. 8 through Jan. 13. The margin of error is 5+/-.
