Politicians please voters

Nelson, Scott, Rubio receive good marks

A poll released Tuesday shows Florida voters have positive views about U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson and Gov. Rick Scott a year and a half before a widely expected showdown between the two.

Democrat Nelson is seeking a fourth term next year. Republican Scott hasn’t announced his plans, but he can’t run for re-election because of term limits and is widely expected to challenge Nelson.

The Florida poll released Tuesday by Morning Consult shows Scott is viewed positively by 57 percent of Florida voters, with 36 percent disapproval. That’s a net positive of 21 points for the governor.

It’s a big improvement for Scott since Morning Consult’s September rankings. His approval is up 8 points and his disapproval is down 6 points. It’s not all good, though: Scott ranks 33rd in popularity among all governors.

Nelson is viewed positively by 53 percent of Floridians and negatively by 26 percent, with a net positive of 27 points. His numbers are virtually unchanged from September.

“It looks like it could be a competitive race,” said Kevin Wagner, a political scientist at Florida Atlantic University. “Nelson has a higher net positive, at least in this particular poll. But Governor Scott has better name recognition. And name recognition in a state the size of Florida is an important factor.”

Notable about Nelson’s results – especially for someone who’s been in public office in