Harris boosts Democrats in Florida, but poll suggests larger electorate not won over yet

Vice President Kamala Harris may have energized Florida's Democratic base, but a poll released Tuesday morning suggests her candidacy hasn't yet changed voter preferences in the state.

The survey of likely Florida voters from the University of North Florida’s Public Opinion Research Lab shows Donald Trump ahead of Harris by a robust 7-point margin, 49% to 42%.

“It’s not a huge surprise to see Trump ahead in his home state of Florida, which he won by three points in 2020,” Michael Binder, a UNF political science professor and the polling lab's director, said in a prepared statement. “With Harris just entering the race, enthusiasm amongst her supporters has livened up what was once thought to be an easy win for Trump in Florida.”

The poll is the first survey of the state electorate since President Joe Biden opted to not seek the party's nomination in August at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. In the past week or so, Harris has quickly moved to lock up Biden's delegates and unite the party behind her, while reportedly raising more than $200 million.

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Florida Democrats insist they will put 'Florida in play'

Her candidacy has unleashed a wave of enthusiasm, Florida Democrats say, that has led to more than 11,000 new volunteers to step forward to help the Harris campaign. This past weekend saw phone banks and other activities across the state marking 100 days of campaign blitzing until Nov. 5.

Congressman Maxwell Frost, an Orlando Democrat and member of Harris' national advisory board, insisted it's not "just a talking point" in claiming that Florida is "already a state that is in play."

"Look, here in Florida, we saw unprecedented actions from volunteers from across the entire state, in blue counties and in red counties," Frost said. "So much energy. People are excited to get out there and vote for the vice president to be the next President of the United States."

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Frost said the campaign will stress that Floridians' votes "matter" and will highlight a record including climate crisis measures and noteworthy strides in reducing Black and Latino unemployment while bolstering fortunes for minority businesses.

Congresswoman Lois Frankel of West Palm Beach said there's been "an overwhelming groundswell of support" across the country, in Florida and in Palm Beach County, Trump's home county.

Frankel noted that in the United States, one-third of women of reproductive age now live in states with abortion bans, including 4 million in Florida. She said the state's new restrictions are leading to dangerous miscarriages and 68,000 forced pregnancies.

"Even his neighbors don't want Donald Trump's extreme Project 2025 agenda, and that includes a nationwide abortion ban," she said.

"Listen, Floridians want the freedom to make their own health care decisions," Frankel added, saying Harris would sign the Women's Health Protection Act to secure access to legal abortions across the United States. "Women want to be in charge of when or whether to start or grow a family."

UNF poll found closer U.S. Senate race, wide support for constitutional amendments

The poll, however, pointed to a much narrower gap between U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, who is seeking re-election, and one of his potential Democratic rivals, Debbie Mucarsel-Powell. The GOP incumbent topped the former Democratic congresswoman from Miami by just 4 percentage points, 47% to 43%.

That lead was just inside the margin of error of 4.6 percentage points.

Two high-profile constitutional amendments on the November ballot appear to enjoy the electorate's favor.

Some 64% said they were a "yes" vote on Amendment 3, which would legalize adult recreational marijuana use, with just 31% saying no. Support for Amendment 4 to protect access to abortions polled even higher — 69% saying yes to only 23% saying no.

Antonio Fins is a politics and business editor at The Palm Beach Post , part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at afins@pbpost.com . Help support our journalism. Subscribe today .

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Harris boosts Democrats in Florida, but poll suggests larger electorate not won over yet