Less than two weeks remain in Florida's bitter campaign for governor. With the final debate in the history books, a new poll finds Gov. Rick Scott and former Gov. Charlie Crist are in a dead heat.
From the day the 2014 campaign for governor began, nearly a year ago, all the way until now, personal attacks and negative ads have been the order of the day, which may explain why a new Quinnipiac poll has Scott and Crist locked in a dead heat, 42 percent to 42 percent, with Election Day looming.
Pollster Peter Brown said all the negativity is making both Crist and Scott more unpopular than ever, which is why voters are having a tough time making up their minds.
"Mr. Crist and Mr. Scott have spent an awful lot of money figuring out what voters want and don't want, and they've come to the conclusion that the best way for them to get elected is to be the lesser of two evils," he said.
But they may have come to that conclusion a long time ago. Six months' worth of polls show Crist and Scott consistently locked in a statistical tie.
Scott took a slim lead within the margin of error in August, Crist overtook him in early October, and now the former governor, on average, holds a slim 1.8 percentage point lead over Scott. That 1.8 percent is well within the margin of error on all those polls.
Privately, many Republican operatives are stumped that after running $50 million worth of TV ads, Scott hasn't been able to top 44 percent in any poll.
Crist has never gotten above 45, meaning the outcome of the race may hinge less on money and more the late-stage ground game - the get out the vote effort both campaigns are taking to the campaign trail beginning now.
The new Quinnipiac poll also asked Floridians hwo have already voted who they cast their ballot for. Forty-two percent say Crist, while 38 percent said Scott.