Florida: Swing state swinging against Obama

Remember how passage of Obamacare was going to help Democratic candidates?

Attorney General Bill McCollum's decision to sue the federal government over healthcare reform looks like a political winner, according to a new poll showing that he has widened his lead over state Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink in the race for governor.

The Mason-Dixon Polling & Research survey released Monday shows that 51 percent of registered Florida voters approve of McCollum's lawsuit, while 39 percent are opposed.

As the state appears to lean toward the right, the Republican McCollum draws 49 percent support compared to 34 percent who would vote for Sink, a Democrat, according to the poll of 625 registered Florida voters.

"The lawsuit probably gave McCollum a little lift and has put him in a strong position, but there's more going on here," said Mason-Dixon pollster Brad Coker.

Coker said the numbers that "jump out at me" are those that show McCollum is winning support from 24 percent of Democrats, while Sink only draws 3 percent of Republican support.

"Also, there's no gender gap. That's a problem for Sink," he said. "A Democratic woman can't win without the strong support of women."

. . . McCollum appears to be picking up momentum. The last time Mason-Dixon polled the race, in June, McCollum had a 6 percentage point lead. Now he's up 15 percentage points.

Voters have begun to view McCollum in a better light, with 39 percent saying they have a favorable view of the attorney general - - a 10 percentage-point increase since the last Mason-Dixon poll. In that time, Sink's numbers haven't moved, with 24 percent of voters expressing a favorable view of her. . . .

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/29/1554311/poll-bill-mccollum-widens-lead.html