A new Quinnipiac poll in Florida finds Sen. Bill Nelson (D) leading Gov. Rick Scott (R) in the U.S. Senate race, 52% to 46%.

Said pollster Peter Brown: “At this point, Sen. Nelson’s six-point overall lead is built on his large margin among independent voters, 60% to 38%. If that margin holds up, the senator will be difficult to beat. Moreover, Sen. Nelson’s 20-point advantage among women is twice Gov. Scott’s 10-point edge among men.”

He added: “Nelson is just better liked. Florida likely voters view him favorably by 10 percentage points, and see Gov. Scott unfavorably by five points.”

Meanwhile, a St. Pete Polls survey finds the race tied at 48% to 48%.

A new Quinnipiac poll in Florida finds Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) has taken the lead over Gov. Rick Scott (R) in the U.S. Senate race, 53% to 46%.

Among Florida likely voters who name a candidate choice, 94% say their mind is made up.

A new Florida Atlantic University poll shows Gov. Rick Scott (R) just ahead of Sen. Bill Nelson (D) in their U.S. Senate race, 42% to 41% with 11% undecided.

In August, Scott led 45% to 39% with 16% undecided.

“Florida Republican Rick Scott is as close as any governor with Donald Trump. Yet it’s former President George W. Bush, no friend to Trump, who will join Scott at two fundraisers for a super PAC backing Scott’s Senate campaign Friday. It’s the latest instance of the Florida governor visibly tying his political fortunes to a prominent Republican other than the current president,” Politico reports.

“Scott — who was frequently by Trump’s side at the White House and at his resorts in Palm Beach and Bedminster, New Jersey, in 2017 — began putting more distance between himself and the unpopular president this year as he geared up for a Senate run that Trump himself had repeatedly urged him to make. Scott also chaired the super PAC backing Trump’s 2016 presidential bid. Now Scott seldom mentions the president and won’t commit to having an event with him specifically.”

A new Quinnipiac poll in Florida finds Sen. Bill Nelson (D) and Gov. Rick Scott (R) locked in a 49% to 49% dead heat among likely voters in the U.S. Senate race.

Said pollster Peter Brown: “The campaign is a prototype of our nation’s political environment: Nelson carries women and black voters, while Scott wins among men and white voters. The key in close elections like this one often lies with independent voters. So far, Sen. Nelson has the edge with this swing group. The candidate who holds those voters in November is likely to win.”

“Andrew Gillum (D) rode a late surge of African-American voters to an upset victory in the Democratic primary Tuesday and a historic opportunity to become the first black governor in Florida history,” the Miami Herald reports.

Vox: “Gillum is the first black Democratic gubernatorial candidate in Florida history. He won out over Gwen Graham, a former member of Congress, the daughter of a former governor and senator, and the presumed Democratic frontrunner; former Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine; and businessman Jeff Greene. He will face Republican Ron DeSantis in November’s general election, a race that election forecasters have rated a toss-up.”

Politico: “Privately, a number of Democratic senators have offered their unsolicited view that Nelson is in for a reckoning on Election Day, which would cost Democrats any hope of winning back the Senate. Nelson is a classic old-school senator who keeps his head down and does his work, which is effective in the Capitol but less so in a Trump-era campaign in the most expensive battleground state. He’s being vastly outspent, and there’s concern in Florida the national party might cut him loose if a loss looks certain in the expensive Sunshine State.”

“And Florida Democrats fret that the low-key third-term senator has not been visible enough while Scott is seemingly everywhere.”