Rep. Charlie Crist, D-Fla., trails Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in Florida's gubernatorial race by just three points in a new poll commissioned by AARP.
DeSantis received 50% of support among likely voters in the survey, compared to Crist at 47%.
Crist has an advantage over DeSantis among respondents aged 18-49, with 51% favoring him to DeSantis' 46%. Among voters aged 50 and older, the Florida governor has a 7-point lead, garnering 52% support from that age group versus Crist's 45%.
Independents, which will be crucial in deciding the next governor of the swing state, supported DeSantis over Crist in the survey, 49% to 45%.
According to the poll, there is a narrow gender gap, with men voting for DeSantis by a larger margin than women are supporting Crist, but a huge education gap. Crist is favored by voters with a four-year college degree by 15 percentage points, while DeSantis is ahead by the same amount with voters who do not have a four-year college degree.
One of the most competitive gubernatorial races this election cycle, the contest will be a test for Democrats and a proving ground for DeSantis, who is being widely considered a potential Republican presidential candidate in 2024.
DeSantis is no stranger to close races, having won his first term in 2018 by less than half a percentage point, according to The Hill.
The poll was conducted Aug. 24-31 by Fabrizio Ward and Impact Research and surveyed 1,626 likely Florida voters, including a statewide sample of 500 likely voters and a sample of 860 aged 50 and older.
The margin of error for the statewide sample is plus or minus 4.4 percentage points and the margin of error for the 50 and older sample is plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.
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