Biden Tops Trump In Patch's FL Presidential Preference Survey

FLORIDA — Although Florida is considered a swing state in the November election, an informal survey of Patch readers suggests that Democrat Joe Biden could win it easily.

Nearly 54 percent of more than 1,800 survey respondents said they plan to vote for the former vice president in November, while only 40 percent said they plan to vote for GOP incumbent President Donald Trump.

A majority of respondents also said they disapprove or strongly disapprove of the way Gov. Ron DeSantis has responded to the coronavirus pandemic, and a large majority believe people should be required to wear masks outside the home.

The Patch survey, conducted over three days, is not a scientific poll, with random sampling and margins of error, but can be read as a broad reflection of public sentiment. It can be compared to the closely watched Real Clear Politics polling average for Florida, which shows Biden enjoying a 6.8 percent advantage over the president.

Most observers agree that without Florida's 29 electoral votes — the most of any swing state — Trump would be hard-pressed to find a path to re-election.

In the past 10 presidential elections, Republican candidates have won Florida seven times, and Democratic candidates have won Florida three times. In nine of those 10 elections, the candidate who won Florida ended up winning the presidential election. Only George H.W. Bush failed to win the presidency after winning Florida's electoral votes.

A Real Clear Politics average of national presidential preference polls taken in June gives Biden 50.6 percent of the vote nationwide to 40.6 percent for the GOP incumbent.

Almost 55 percent of survey respondents said they disapprove or strongly disapprove of the way DeSantis has handled the state's response to the pandemic, while 37 percent said they approve or strongly approve.

DeSantis has declined to require face masks outdoors as Florida reopens, preferring to leave mask orders to local officials he considers best positioned to judge local conditions. He noted Wednesday that the pandemic is most virulent in metro areas and that some county sheriffs have indicated they won't enforce any mask order.

However, the governor has encouraged people to wear masks in public to avoid transmitting the coronavirus to susceptible older and sicker people, the Florida Phoenix reports.

On Sunday, he said during a news conference in Pensacola that he is not worried about plans to host Republican National Convention activities in Jacksonville on Aug. 24-27.

"I think we'll be fine by that time," DeSantis said in answer to a reporter's question about requiring face masks at the event.

Broward County, Palm Beach County, Monroe County and Miami-Dade County all plan to close their beaches over the July 4 holiday weekend in an attempt to stem the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

Concerning other issues stemming from the pandemic, fully 70 percent of respondents said people should be required to wear masks when outside their homes.

An even larger majority — 73 percent — said bars and nightclubs should not be allowed to reopen.

Florida has set a series of one-day records for coronavirus cases over the past two weeks, prompting state officials to suspend the consumption of on-premises alcohol sold at bars.

Democrats have lambasted DeSantis as coronavirus cases have risen in the state.

"The governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, is a disciple of this president," Dave Aronberg, the state attorney for Palm Beach County, told CNN. "The governor is going to follow the lead of the White House. ... Lives are at risk, and you have all these political games going on."

Only 38 percent of respondents said the November election should be conducted entirely by mail, which some advocates have suggested as a way to minimize the dangers of spreading the virus at polling places. Fifty percent of respondents answered "no" to that question.

Finally, two-thirds of respondents said they approve of a plan to raise the state's minimum wage to $15 by 2026. That measure will be up for referendum in November.