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Charlie Crist, Jim Davis 'Too Close to Call' in Florida
Florida's gubernatorial race between Republican Charlie Crist and Democrat Jim Davis has suddenly become too close to call, according to a poll released Monday as early voting began with Election Day just two weeks off.
Crist, the state's attorney general, had enjoyed double-digit leads in previous polls. But he was favored by 46 percent of likely voters to Davis' 44 percent with 8 percent undecided in a Quinnipiac University poll released Monday. That was within the margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.
Eleven percent of respondents indicated they could still change their minds in the race between Crist and Davis, a Tampa congressman, to succeed Gov. Jeb Bush.
The poll comes a day before Davis and Crist have their first of two debates.
Earlier this month, Crist was favored 53 percent to 43 percent in a similar sampling by the Connecticut-based polling institute.
Story Continues Below Davis didn't start his television advertising until earlier this month. He made inroads among independent voters and women since that poll. He led Crist 50-36 among independents and was favored by 54 percent of women respondents to 38 percent for Crist.
Independents represent about one of every five voters in Florida.
"You have to assume his (Davis) television has been effective," assistant poll director Peter Brown said, adding that the national mood has helped make the race competitive.
"It's reasonable to assume that part of this is the reflection of a national wave, a movement to Democrats showing up across the country," Brown said. "The cumulative effect of the questions about (former U.S. Rep. Mark) Foley, the Republican leadership and general disenchantment of the (President) Bush administration."
Crist spokeswoman Erin Isaac wouldn't comment on the new poll numbers, but said the candidate was looking forward to Tuesday's debate with his opponent.
"The poll shows our campaign is building momentum as voters, particularly independents, view Jim Davis as an alternative to the status quo," Davis' communications director Josh Earnest said Monday.
Gov. Bush is constitutionally prohibited from seeking a third consecutive term.
The random telephone survey of 816 likely voters taken between Wednesday and Sunday night.
Polls opened Monday across Florida for those who prefer to avoid long lines or problems on Election Day by taking advantage of early voting.
© 2006 Associated Press.
Editor's note:
Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics: Inside Cover Stories
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