A new poll shows Florida Gov. Rick Scott leading his opponent, incumbent Sen.Bill Nelson, by 5 points among likely voters. This is the third major poll in a row to show Scott with a slight lead.
A new poll by CBS News and YouGov has Scott with a 5-point lead over Nelson among likely voters, and a 2-point lead among all registered voters.
The poll was conducted June 19-22 and interviewed 1,002 registered voters, with a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percent.
When poll participants were asked who they would vote for, Scott had stronger results when it came to how people viewed his performance as governor: 29 percent of participants strongly approved with his job as governor, and 23 percent strongly disapproved.
Meanwhile, only 17 percent strongly approved of Nelson's job as U.S. senator, while 26 percent disapproved.
CBS also reports that Scott is polling better than Nelson among independents, and the two are tied among Hispanic voters.
Real Clear Politics gives Scott a 0.8 percent advantage over Nelson.
Earlier polls showed Nelson with a comfortable lead. This changed in early April, when Scott pulled 4 points ahead in a Florida Atlantic University poll. Scott continued to maintain a comfortable lead (3 points) in a Florida Chamber of Commerce poll from May 25 to June 4.
Real Clear Politics did not factor in a Public Policy Polling poll that showed Nelson leading Scott 48 percent to 46 percent. That poll was paid for by a current Democratic candidate in this year's Florida gubernatorial election.
Nelson has defeated two prior GOP challengers in the past: against former Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris in 2006, and against former U.S. Representative Connie Mack IV in 2012.
