A new poll conducted by David Jay Wolfson on behalf of the Jay Collins campaign has the lieutenant governor's support accelerating against frontrunner Byron Donalds in the governor's race with the Republican primary less than three weeks away.
Results of the poll are below:
Byron Donalds: 46%
Jay Collins: 30%
James Fishback: 9.8%
Paul Renner: 5.9%
Bobby Williams 5%
Republican candidates Rachel Rodriguez, Arthur J. McCaffrey, Jim Holcomb, and Daniel Nokovich are all under 1% in the result.
In addition, the results show Lt. Gov. Collins with an advantage with undecided voters over Rep. Donalds at a 40.8% to 30.3% margin, pointing to a two-man race in the contest. Bobby Williams (8.2%), Daniel Nokovich (4.1%), Rachel Rodriguez (4.1%), Paul Renner (4.0%), Arthur J. McCaffrey (4.0%), Jim Holcomb (2.4%), and James Fishback (2.2%) all trail far behind.
“Notably, undecided voters break for Collins more than any other candidate, with Collins taking 40% of that pool,” Collins Campaign Manager Ted Veerman said in a statement. “Lieutenant Governor Collins is surging at the exact right moment and closing the gap rapidly between him and Donalds. Every other candidate in this race is an afterthought.”
The polling memo also concludes two-thirds of Republican voters being open to another candidate when given new information before casting a ballot. Quiet Professionals, a PAC associated with Lt. Gov. Collins released a blistering statewide ad attacking Rep. Donalds' past transgressions and associates this week.
Collins launched a seven-figure media ad buy to boost his gubernatorial campaign in April.
Furthermore, the poll is significant given Collins' support has jumped from a similar poll conducted earlier this month, adding to the lieutenant governor's momentum in his campaign. From that poll, Rep. Donalds leads with 37%, Collins at 20%, James Fishback at 9%, and Paul Renner at 2% with 28% undecided.
Notably, both polls represent a significant shift to averages showing Rep. Donalds with a significant lead over Collins, Renner, and Fishback in the race. However, this race might be far from over, with Floridians making the final call on Aug. 18.
