Florida Governor Race Polls: Donalds Leads Jolly in the Final Weekend
Naples Republican Byron Donalds leads Democrat David Jolly in every statewide poll in the RealClearPolling average, but the newest survey puts the race at two points — inside its margin of error — three days before Election Day.
The Florida governor's race goes into its final weekend with Republican Byron Donalds ahead, and with the gap depending heavily on which pollster is asking. The RealClearPolling average of surveys taken from October 2 to October 30 puts Donalds at 48.6 percent and Democrat David Jolly at 44.0 percent, a lead of 4.6 points for the Naples congressman who represents Southwest Florida in Washington.
The newest numbers are tighter. A St. Pete Polls survey of 916 likely voters, taken October 25 to 27 with a margin of error of 3.2 points, found Donalds at 48 percent and Jolly at 46 percent. InsiderAdvantage, polling 1,200 likely voters on October 28 and 29, found Donalds at 49 percent and Jolly at 45 percent, and a Big Data Poll of 1,129 likely voters taken October 26 to 30 found 47 percent to 44 percent. The New York Times/Siena survey in late October also put Donalds four points ahead, 48 to 44.
For Lee and Collier County voters, the race is a local one: Donalds is Southwest Florida's own candidate, running to succeed term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis, while Jolly is a former congressman running as a Democrat. Polls taken earlier in October ranged from a tie to an 11-point Donalds lead, a spread poll watchers attribute to different likely-voter screens and methods. Early voting in Lee County ends Saturday, October 31, and polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3.
