A new poll out of Florida could spell bad news for President Donald Trump’s re-election chances.
Former Vice President Joe Biden (D) leads Trump 46% to 40% in a University of North Florida (UNF) poll that was released on Monday morning.
“I would exercise caution when looking at these numbers, first these are registered voters – not likely voters,” Michael Binder, the director of the Public Opinion Research Lab, said.
He added, “The campaign season has screeched to a grinding halt, and people are rightly less focused on politics.”
“Although, this same sample of voters when asked who they voted for in 2016, indicated a very slight advantage for Trump, suggesting that something may be changing in Florida ahead of the election,” he said.
Additionally, respondents said they did not approve of Trump’s handling of the coronavirus response with 45% approval and 53% disapproval.
The results from Florida seem to show a different story than polls from the rest of the country. An average of polls finds that 49% of voters approve of his handling of the outbreak while 45% disapprove.
Trump won Florida, a crucial swing state, in 2016 by 1.2%, and recent polls have found a tight race between Trump and Biden as the coronavirus has spread throughout the country.
The same poll found that respondents said they approve of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ (R) handling of the coronavirus with 51% approval and 46% disapproval.
“Health organizations have the spotlight and authority to make suggestions to officials, and it would behoove politicians to follow their advice, especially as election season creeps closer,” Binder said.
The UNF poll comes as the number of coronavirus deaths in the U.S. topped 10,000, and the were 352,546 confirmed cases in the country.