AARP poll finds DeSantis with three-point lead on Crist

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) holds a narrow three-point lead over Democratic Rep. Charlie Crist (D-Fla.) in a new poll commissioned by AARP for Florida’s gubernatorial race.

The poll, conducted by Fabrizio Ward and Impact Research, found DeSantis receiving 50 percent support among likely voters compared to Crist at 47 percent. The polling falls within the margin of error, effectively tying the two candidates. 

Among voters polled between the ages of 18 and 49 years old, Crist holds an edge with 51 percent compared to DeSantis’ 46 percent. But the Florida governor holds a 7-percentage point lead among voters aged 50 years and old, receiving 52 percent support from that age demographic compared to Crist’s 45 percent.

Among Independents, a critical voting bloc that will help determine if the governor gets another term in the swing state, DeSantis received 49 percent support while Crist received 45 percent.

While the gubernatorial race will be a test for Democrats heading into one of the competitive gubernatorial races this cycle, it’s also being closely watched for how well DeSantis performs as he’s been widely floated as a potential 2024 GOP presidential candidate.

DeSantis has won close races in the past. He squeaked out a win for his first term in 2018 by less than half a percentage point. 

The AARP-commissioned poll was conducted between Aug. 24 and Aug. 31 with 1,626 likely Florida voters surveyed, including a statewide sample of 500 and a sample of 860 aged 50 years and older.

The margin of error for the statewide sample is plus or minus 4.4 percentage points and the margin of error for the older voting sample is plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.