Republicans Hold Strong Leads in Florida Governor and Senate Races
WHO:
NBC News - Republican Byron Donalds, Democrat David Jolly, Republican Sen. Ashley Moody, Democratic challenger Angie Nixon, Trump, Joe Biden, Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Gov. Ron DeSantis.
WHAT:
Newsweek - David Jolly trails Byron Donalds by 2 points in the Florida governor race, with Donalds at 48% and Jolly at 46%.
NBC News - Byron Donalds holds a 7-percentage-point lead over David Jolly in the Florida governor’s race, with Donalds at 48% and Jolly at 41%.
NBC News - Ashley Moody leads Angie Nixon by 10 points in the Senate race, with Moody at 50% and Nixon at 40%.
NBC News - Trump’s job performance rating is 49% disapproval and 45% approval among voters.
NBC News - 48% of all Florida likely voters approve of Trump’s job performance, while 48% disapprove.
NBC News - 55% of Florida voters support a ballot measure (Amendment 3) to increase property tax exemptions to the first $250,000 of a home’s value by 2028.
NBC News - 74% of Republicans support the property tax exemption amendment, compared to 36% of Democrats and 43% of independents.
WHERE:
NBC News - Florida, specifically mentioning Hispanic-heavy Miami-Dade County.
WHEN:
NBC News - The poll was conducted from Sept. 28 to Thursday, with a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points for the overall sample and plus or minus 5 percentage points for the Hispanic sample.
NBC News - The property tax exemption measure is set to be implemented by 2028.
WHY:
The Nation Politics - The article suggests that with more than 900,000 Puerto Rican voters in Florida, the state can be won in 2026 and put in play for 2028.
NBC News - Democrats argue that recent special election victories indicate they are winning back the Hispanic vote due to dissatisfaction with Trump’s immigration policies and economic issues like inflation.
HOW:
NBC News - The poll surveyed 625 registered voters and 400 Hispanic registered voters, conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc. via telephone.
(UPDATED October 7, 2026 22:04 UTC)
In the Florida governor race, David Jolly is currently trailing Byron Donalds by just two points, with Donalds at 48 percent and Jolly at 46 percent. Analysts suggest that the presence of over 900,000 Puerto Rican voters in Florida could be pivotal, making the state a key target for the upcoming 2026 election and potentially influencing the 2028 race as well. This demographic shift highlights the growing importance of voter turnout in shaping future political landscapes.
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(UPDATED October 7, 2026 14:05 UTC)
In the Florida governor’s race, Republican Byron Donalds is leading Democrat David Jolly by seven percentage points, with Donalds at 48% and Jolly at 41%. Meanwhile, in the Senate race, Republican Ashley Moody holds a ten-point advantage over Democratic challenger Angie Nixon, with Moody at 50% and Nixon at 40%. Additionally, a recent poll shows that 55% of Florida voters support a property tax exemption amendment to be implemented by 2028, with strong backing from 74% of Republicans, while Trump's job performance ratings remain closely divided among voters.