Florida
Harris boosts Democrats in Florida, but poll suggests larger electorate not won over yet
The survey of likely Florida voters from the University of North Florida’s Public Opinion Research Lab shows Donald Trump ahead of Harris by a robust 7-point margin, 49% to 42%.
Inside Florida Politics: Biden’s team says Florida isn’t in play
President Joe Biden’s campaign chair said recently that Florida isn’t a battleground state.
Vice President Kamala Harris may have energized Florida’s Democratic base, but a poll released Tuesday morning suggests her candidacy hasn’t yet changed voter preferences in the state.
The survey of likely Florida voters from the University of North Florida’s Public Opinion Research Lab shows Donald Trump ahead of Harris by a robust 7-point margin, 49% to 42%.
“It’s not a huge surprise to see Trump ahead in his home state of Florida, which he won by three points in 2020,” Michael Binder, a UNF political science professor and the polling lab’s director, said in a prepared statement. “With Harris just entering the race, enthusiasm amongst her supporters has livened up what was once thought to be an easy win for Trump in Florida.”
The poll is the first survey of the state electorate since President Joe Biden opted to not seek the party’s nomination in August at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. In the past week or so, Harris has quickly moved to lock up Biden’s delegates and unite the party behind her, while reportedly raising more than $200 million.
Presidential campaign 2024: Harris volunteers pack Delray office to get out the vote for the VP
Florida Democrats insist they will put ‘Florida in play’
Her candidacy has unleashed a wave of enthusiasm, Florida Democrats say, that has led to more than 11,000 new volunteers to step forward to help the Harris campaign. This past weekend saw phone banks and other activities across the state marking 100 days of campaign blitzing until Nov. 5.
Congressman Maxwell Frost, an Orlando Democrat and member of Harris’ national advisory board, insisted it’s not “just a talking point” in claiming that Florida is “already a state that is in play.”
“Look, here in Florida, we saw unprecedented actions from volunteers from across the entire state, in blue counties and in red counties,” Frost said. “So much energy. People are excited to get out there and vote for the vice president to be the next President of the United States.”
Hurris surging: Kamala Harris campaign deployed 1,400 Florida volunteers during ‘Weekend of Action’
Frost said the campaign will stress that Floridians’ votes “matter” and will highlight a record including climate crisis measures and noteworthy strides in reducing Black and Latino unemployment while bolstering fortunes for minority businesses.
Congresswoman Lois Frankel of West Palm Beach said there’s been “an overwhelming groundswell of support” across the country, in Florida and in Palm Beach County, Trump’s home county.
Frankel noted that in the United States, one-third of women of reproductive age now live in states with abortion bans, including 4 million in Florida. She said the state’s new restrictions are leading to dangerous miscarriages and 68,000 forced pregnancies.
“Even his neighbors don’t want Donald Trump’s extreme Project 2025 agenda, and that includes a nationwide abortion ban,” she said.
“Listen, Floridians want the freedom to make their own health care decisions,” Frankel added, saying Harris would sign the Women’s Health Protection Act to secure access to legal abortions across the United States. “Women want to be in charge of when or whether to start or grow a family.”
UNF poll found closer U.S. Senate race, wide support for constitutional amendments
The poll, however, pointed to a much narrower gap between U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, who is seeking re-election, and one of his potential Democratic rivals, Debbie Mucarsel-Powell. The GOP incumbent topped the former Democratic congresswoman from Miami by just 4 percentage points, 47% to 43%.
That lead was just inside the margin of error of 4.6 percentage points.
Two high-profile constitutional amendments on the November ballot appear to enjoy the electorate’s favor.
Some 64% said they were a “yes” vote on Amendment 3, which would legalize adult recreational marijuana use, with just 31% saying no. Support for Amendment 4 to protect access to abortions polled even higher — 69% saying yes to only 23% saying no.
Antonio Fins is a politics and business editor at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at afins@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
Florida
Golf roundup: Austin Smotherman plays ‘boring, simple’ to expand lead in Florida
Austin Smotherman will carry a three-stroke lead into the weekend at the Cognizant Classic at The Palm Beaches.
Smotherman followed his opening 62 with a 2-under-par 69 on Friday at PGA National’s Champion Course in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. That brought him to 11 under, comfortably clear of Taylor Moore, who is in second after his second straight 4-under 67.
Cognizant Classic scoreboard
“Yeah, leading a PGA Tour event, come on, pretty awesome,” Smotherman said.
Smotherman, 31, is in fine position for his first win on the PGA Tour since turning pro a decade ago. He has won three times on the Korn Ferry Tour, including last June.
Afterwards, he credited himself with playing “Austin Smotherman golf.” When asked what that meant, he responded, “as boring and simple as it can be.
“That’s what I want to do out there. I feel like I ball strike it good enough to have that kind of boring golf, a bunch of fairways ideally,” he said.
He suffered three bogeys Friday after a bogey-free opening round, but the key stretch for him after starting on the back nine was between Nos. 17 and 3. He birdied four holes in that stretch, starting with a 54-foot bomb at the par-3 17th hole.
“Anything under par I thought would have been (good) following up a round like yesterday, which was a special one,” he said, “and try not to get too far ahead of myself thinking I’m going to make every long putt I’m looking at, like kind of was the feeling yesterday, and then today I still make a 55-footer on 17.”
Moore overcame a bogey in each half of his round with three birdies on either nine, more than counterbalancing the rough patches to earn his second straight solid score.
“I think very different 67s,” Moore said when comparing his rounds. “I didn’t hit many fairways yesterday, kind of grinded a lot, had a couple chip-ins, which obviously helps. I thought I struck the ball much better today. Drove it in the fairways on the par-5s, I felt like. Yeah, still had a few up-and- downs, obviously, with the tough windy conditions this afternoon, but overall I thought it was solid.”
Canadian A.J. Ewart had the round of the day, a 64 that powered him to 7 under for the week. He’s tied with Colombia’s Nico Echavarria (72), and Joel Dahmen is in fifth at 6 under after a second consecutive 68.
Ewart, who played for nearby Barry University in college, came in with some familiarity.
“We used to come and watch this tournament when I was at school. I think I came up here twice, maybe three times and watched,” Ewart said. “I had never actually played the golf course, but I felt like I knew it just from watching it.”
Irishman Shane Lowry, one of the most recognizable players in the field, is in a large knot for sixth at 5 under after posting a 67. Defending champion Joe Highsmith made the cut on the number at even par.
Notable players who missed the cut included Webb Simpson (1 over), Gary Woodland (2 over), Matt Kuchar (2 over) and Canada’s Adam Hadwin (3 over).
Kim maintains narrow lead in Singapore
Auston Kim maintained a narrow lead over three seasoned competitors with a 3-under-par 69 on Friday at the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore.
Kim carded five birdies and a double-bogey at the par-5 16th hole at Sentosa Golf Club to move to 9-under par, one shot ahead of major champions Minjee Lee of Australia (64 on Friday) and Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn (67) and three- time LPGA Tour winner Haeran Ryu of South Korea (68).
Lurking two shots back at 7-under in the no-cut event are Australia’s Hannah Green (66), Denmark’s Nanna Koerstz Madsen (68), Sweden’s Linn Grant (69) and England’s Mimi Rhodes (69).
Kim, an LPGA Tour member since 2024, has been knocking on the door of her first tour win. The American has eight finishes in the top 10 and was the runner-up at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship last season.
“I think just sticking to my process. I’m trying to earn each shot and win each shot and win each day,” Kim, 25, said of her strategy heading into the weekend. “I can put a hundred percent of my focus into every single shot and try my best to execute each time, I’ll do well.”
Lee soared into contention with an eagle at the par-4 second hole and six birdies in a bogey-free round.
“I think just I holed a few more putts out there,” Lee said of the difference between Friday’s play and her opening-round of 72. “I holed a few long ones and I also holed out for eagle on the second. That always helps the score.”
Jutanugarn had six birdies, including three straight from holes Nos. 5-7, and one bogey.
Ryu collected four birdies in a round free of bogeys, but not free from pain.
“Today, my neck was so bad and I cannot turn it around, it’s so hard, my neck,” Ryu said. “But yeah, golf is not perfect. I just think about it, just hit the fairway and the green. Yeah, that’s good for me. There’s a lot of birdies, and yeah, I’m so happy.”
Angel Yin matched Lee for the low round of the day with a 64 to move into a tie for ninth at 6-under.
Defending champion Lydia Ko of New Zealand (72) remained a 2-under posting four birdies and four bogeys.
World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand is tied for 33rd at 1-under after a round of 70.
Florida
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