Did Wednesday's debate between Republican Rick Scott and Democrat Charlie Crist register with a Florida electorate seemingly uninterested and/or turned off by these two highly flawed candidates?
No, but yes says the first public poll since "Fangate," when Gov. Scott waited seven minutes, an eternity on live television, before appearing onstage for the debate, all because Crist insisted on having his portable pal plugged in below his lectern.
Crist now holds a slight lead in the latest survey from St. Pete Polls, 45 to 43 percent among those sure of whom they are voting for governor. When factoring in those respondents who say they are leaning to either Scott or Crist, the race is a one point affair, with Crist at 45 percent, Scott 43 percent.
Such close numbers suggest "Fangate" has had little effect on voters' thinking. But these new numbers must be judged against St. Pete Polls survey before the debate: That poll, taken Oct 8-11, had Scott leading Crist 45 to 44 percent.
It would appear that Scott's performance on Wednesday cost him two or three critical points.
No, but yes, in other words.
Diving in to the exact impact of Wednesday's debate, a surprisingly high percentage of voters said they watched the debate. Of those who said they watched the debate, 38 percent believe Crist "won" the debate, while 25% think Scott performed better. Thirty percent of voters thought neither of the candidates won the debate.
Asked if the delay of the debate because of the electric fan at Crist's feet hurt Scott, Crist or both, 41 percent of Florida voters think it hurt Scott, while 20 percent think it impacted Crist. Twenty six percent of respondents think it was a plague on both Scot'st and Crist's houses.
While Crist holds a slight lead over Scott, there is still more than enough time for Scott to make up the difference. On Friday, reports surfaced about Scott committing an additional $22 million to his re-election campaign.
That kind of money is enough to overcome any debate loss.
The voters polled were chosen at random within the registered voter population within the state of Florida. The random sample used was made up of a proportional sampling of registered voters from every one of Florida's 120 state House districts. Only those voters that said they were planning to vote in the general election were included in the results.