1. Ballot Vote is a Two-Way Choice.
U.S. Senate Vote

Charlie Crist
35%
Marco Rubio
34%
Kendrick Meek
17%
Undecided
14%

In the wake of the August 24th Primary election…
Charlie Crist holds a one-point lead;
Marco Rubio is essentially “tied” with Crist when margin of error is factored in – both well ahead of Kendrick Meek; and
Kendrick Meek appears to have gotten little to no bounce from the Democratic Primary.
In party registration breakdown…
Crist (37%) and Meek (37%) split the Democratic vote;
Rubio (66%) dominates the Republican vote, but Crist holds a solid 21% chunk.
Independents/unaffiliated voters break to Crist by 55% versus 24% for Rubio.

2. Candidate Ratings show Charlie Crist by far the most popular.
Charlie Crist remains by far the most popular candidate in race. The incumbent Governor is rated 60% positive, 34% negative.
Marco Rubio is rated more positive (45%) than negative (30%) but has little popularity outside Republican ranks.
Kendrick Meek is rated just 38% positive vs. 30% negative with modest 52% to 21% ratings among Democrats after his bruising Primary.

3. Summary.
Several factors point to the consistent dynamic of this race going forward as a Crist-Rubio battle…
Crist’s reservoir of positive image ratings (60%) above and beyond his current vote (35%);
Crist’s appeal across segments of all Democratic, Republican, and Independent vote;
Rubio’s solid standing and base with Republicans – that will keep his vote from dropping – but his limited appeal among Democrats and Independents; and
Kendrick Meek’s inability to consolidate Democratic vote and establish any beachhead vote with Independents during his Primary where Jeff Greene’s attack TV drove up Meek negatives and Meek exchanges isolated him to a portion of the Democratic vote.

Methodology
Sample Size: n=500
Margin of Error: 4.4%
Eligibility: Likely voters
Scope: Statewide
Interview Method: Telephone
Dates: August 28-31, 2010
Client: Crist for Senate Campaign