Likely Florida Voters Have Negative Feelings Towards Current Presidential Party Front Runners Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Edie Ousley, 850-521-1231 or 850-251-6261
eousley@flchamber.com

Florida Voters Approve of the Job Governor Rick Scott is
Doing and Believe Florida is Headed in the Right Direction

ORLANDO (September 29 , 2015) – The latest Florida Chamber Political Institute (FCPI) poll released today shows Floridians view the two candidates leading in the polls for the Republican and Democratic nominations for President –Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump –more negative than positive.

• Hillary Clinton: Of likely Florida voters, the Florida Chamber poll shows only 37 percent have a favorable opinion, while 57 percent have an unfavorable opinion of her.
• Donald Trump: Likely Florida voters have a 35 percent favorable opinion, with 53 percent having an unfavorable opinion of him.
• Jeb Bush: Likely Florida voters have a 48 percent favorable opinion of him compared to 39 percent having an unfavorable opinion.

“In 1980 when I was serving as a director on Ronald Reagan’s Florida presidential team, and the race was between Reagan, George Bush, John Connally and others, Reagan wasn’t the front runner, yet he ultimately was elected president,” said Marian Johnson, Senior Vice President for Political Strategies for the Florida Chamber of Commerce.

“We’re more than five months away from the primary, and the front runner today very well may not be the front runner in March, 2016,” said Andrew Wiggins, Senior Director of Campaigns and Elections for the Florida Chamber of Commerce.

Head-to-Head Matchups:

Although the primaries are more than five months away, and it’s impossible to predict, below are some potential scenarios:

• Hillary Clinton beats Donald Trump 42 to 41 percent, but Jeb Bush beats Hillary Clinton 48 to 37 percent.
• In a scenario where Jeb Bush is the Republican candidate, Hillary Clinton is the Democratic candidate and Donald Trump is an Independent, Hillary Clinton leads Jeb Bush 35 percent to 32 percent, with Donald Trump receiving 21 percent of the vote.

If The Race Were Held Today:

In the Presidential Republican primary, Donald Trump leads with 25 percent, while Carly Fiorina, Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio are all within the margin of error of each other.

• Donald Trump – 25 percent
• Marco Rubio – 14 percent
• Jeb Bush – 13 percent
• Carly Fiorina – 11 percent
• Ben Carson – 9 percent
• Ted Cruz – 6 percent

Right/Wrong Direction:

Additionally, the recent statewide Florida Chamber political poll shows almost half of Floridians believe Florida is heading in the right direction, and nearly half approving of the job Rick Scott is doing as Governor.

• 44 percent of Floridians believe Florida is heading in the right direction, compared to 37 percent that think we’re heading in the wrong direction, and
• 48 percent of Floridians approve of the job Rick Scott is doing as Governor, while 39 disapprove.

Top Issues Among Likely Voters:

Also, likely Florida voters believe the economy is the most important issue facing Florida. Specifically:

• 24 percent of likely voters say job creation and the improving the economy is the most important issue facing Florida
• 13 percent of Florida voters believe education should is the most important issue in the state,
• 9 percent of registered voters believe healthcare is the most important issue, and
• 6 percent of Florida voters believe immigration is the most important issue our state is facing.

Constitutional Amendments:

Voters will vote on several Constitutional Amendments that are expected to be on the ballot.

Solar Amendments:

With the two competing solar amendments, one appears to be winning while the other is losing.

• Limits or Prevents Barriers: 41 percent support while 35 percent oppose.
• Rights of Electricity Consumers Regarding Solar Energy Choice: 76 percent support while 7 percent oppose.

Medical Marijuana:

After losing in 2014, the medical marijuana amendment continues gaining support, with 67 percent supporting and 27 percent opposing.

ABOUT THIS POLL: The Florida Chamber political poll was conducted September 16-20, 2015, and the margin of error is +/- 4 with a 95 percent confidence level. Below are crosstabs.

###

The Florida Chamber of Commerce is the voice of business and the state’s largest federation of employers, chambers of commerce and associations, aggressively representing small and large businesses from every industry and every region. The Florida Chamber works within all branches of government to affect those changes set forth in the annual Florida Business Agenda, and which are seen as critical to secure Florida’s future. The Florida Chamber works closely with its Political Operations and the Florida Chamber Foundation. Visit www.FloridaChamber.com for more information.