JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A bare majority of Florida voters, 51 percent, said they definitely won't vote for President Donald Trump if he is the Republican candidate in the 2020 presidential race, according to a Quinnipiac
University poll released Thursday.
Another 31 percent said they would definitely vote for the president, with another 14 percent saying they'd consider it.
Florida voters gave the president a negative favorability rating of 40 to 52 percent, according to the poll. In contrast, former Vice President Joe Biden got a positive 49 to 35 percent rating.
Biden has not announced his candidacy but a recent poll of conservatives found most consider him the biggest threat in 2020. His favorability rating, according to the poll, is way ahead of other Democratic contenders:
- Negative 37 - 49 percent for U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, of Vermont, including a positive percent among Democrats and a divided 38 – 40 percent among voters 18 to 34 years old;
- Negative 26 – 44 percent for U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, including a positive 54 – 16 percent among Democrats and negative 15 – 30 percent among voters 18 to 34 years old;
- Negative 23 – 30 percent for U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris of California;
- Negative 20 – 30 percent for U.S. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey.
“As he ponders a final decision on running for president, former Vice President Joseph Biden is getting some good news from the nation’s most important voters,” said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll.
The percentage of voters who haven’t heard enough to form an opinion about each of the other possible candidates ranges from 56 percent to 90 percent. They include:
- Former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke of Texas – 56 percent haven’t heard enough;
- U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York – 67 percent;
- U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota – 72 percent;
- Former Gov. John Hickenlooper of Colorado – 85 percent;
- Washington Gov. Jay Inslee – 90 percent.
“Florida voters have been the key to winning the Electoral College in several presidential elections. Biden has a healthy 49 – 35 percent favorability rating, the only potential candidate with more voters viewing him favorable than not. Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren are about as well-known as Biden, but they are both viewed negatively overall," Brown added.