Double Whammy: Democrats Are In a Position To Beat Both Rick Scott and Rick Snyder

Two new polls reveal that Democrats are in a position to beat both Gov. Rick Scott of Florida, and Gov. Rick Snyder of Michigan.

In Florida, the PPP poll found that Democrat and former governor, Charlie Crist led Gov. Rick Scott 42%-39% with 8% for Libertarian Adrian Wyllie. Rick Scott remains wildly unpopular. The Republican governor’s net approval rating remains a net (-9) 40%-49%. The problem for Crist is that the barrage of negative advertising that Scott unleashed dropped his approval rating to a net (-6) 40%-46%. This development has allowed Libertarian Wyllie to pull support from both the Democratic and the Republican candidates. Without the Libertarian in the poll, Crist still leads 44%-41%. Crist is being helped by the popularity of two big Democratic issues. Florida voters overwhelmingly support raising the minimum wage to $10/hour (63%-29%), and expanding Medicaid (61%-27%).

The story in Michigan is that Republican Gov. Rick Snyder is in a statistical tie with Democrat Mark Schauer 43%-42%. Snyder remains unpopular with voters. The governor’s net approval rating is (-8) 43%-51%. In contrast, Schauer’s approval rating a net (+2) 35%-33%. Gov. Snyder remains haunted by his right to work law. By a margin of 48%-36%, voters said that they would repeal the right to work law if it was on the ballot. They also strong oppose Snyder’s increase in pension taxes 74%-17%. The only issue that is helping Snyder is his decision to expand Medicaid. Voters support the expanded Medicaid program (50%-26%).

What both of these polls reveal is that Democrats are in a position to retake the governorships in two blue states. Snyder is stuck in a tie with a Democrat who has been largely unknown while Crist and Scott are locked in a contest that Scott is trying to win an $80 million barrage of negative ads against Crist. The good news for Crist is that the tidal wave of negative ads has made the race closer, but Scott has not been able to take the lead.

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In Michigan, Rick Snyder is in danger of defeat. The Michigan race hasn’t moved in months. Snyder is struggling against a Democratic candidate that has been largely unknown to voters throughout the campaign. The Michigan contest is turning into a referendum on Snyder, which is bad news for the Republican Party.

National attention is focused on the battle for control of the Senate, but Democrats are poised to knock off Republican governors across the country. Republican governors could be facing defeat in Maine, Kansas, Florida, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. The Republican gubernatorial wave of 2010 could be reversed in 2014.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association