Election Day 2014: Governor’s Race Still Deadlocked

Rick Scott, Charlie Crist Race Still Tight



Rick_Scott_Charlie_Crist

It is Election Day 2014, but the Governor’s race between Rick Scott and Charlie Crist is far from close to being decided. In fact, entering today the two were still deadlocked at 42 percent.

Those statistics were based on the averages of 20 public polls released in October, when absentee-ballot and in-person early voting began. Actually, if you want to get technical Rick Scott has a 0.07 percent lead over Crist (42.03 for Scott compared to 41.96 for Crist.)

Unlike prior poll-unskewing attempts, this measure by the Miami Herald uses polls taken as people were casting pre-Election Day ballots, 3.1 million as of this morning. The Republicans led Democrats in ballots cast by 98,000, with 43 percent compared to 39 percent for the Democrats, but independents will also play a role in how this evening turns out.

In fact, independents account for about 18 percent of those voters, and they’re leaning towards Crist by an average of about 6 percentage points. Even still, Scott (42.6 percent) seems to have an early lead over Crist (42 percent.)

Of course, a 0.06 percent lead doesn’t mean much of anything as far as how tonight will turn out, but a lead is a lead on Election Day.