Newsweek, October 2024
Vice President Kamala Harris is leading former President Donald Trump among independent voters in Florida, according to a new poll. The Marist Poll shows the Republican nominee is leading Harris by four points among likely voters in the Sunshine State. However, Harris is leading Trump by 14 points among independents, with 55 percent support compared to Trump’s 41 percent. Her lead with independents in the state is bigger than President Joe Biden four years ago, who carried the group by 11 points, according to the 2020 exit poll.
The poll surveyed 1,510 Florida adults between October 3 and 7. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 points for adults; plus or minus 3.4 points for registered voters and plus or minus 3.6 points for likely voters. The Trump and Harris campaigns have been contacted for comment via email. Florida was once a pivotal swing state, but has become a conservative bastion in recent years. Trump carried Florida in both 2016 and 2020, while Republican Governor Ron DeSantis was re-elected in a landslide in 2022.
