An exclusive poll for the Tampa Bay Times, the Miami Herald and Bay News 9 suggests that former governor Charlie Crist may be losing some of his Florida mojo.
The next gubernatorial election is still two years away. But a Mason-Dixon survey asked 800 registered voters to consider Governor Rick Scott, Alex Sink and Charlie Crist as candidates for that 2014 election.
The survey showed Governor Scott's approval rating is still slipping. And that Alex Sink - who lost to Scott in the 2010 election - would be tougher competition for Scott than Crist.
The poll shows that Sink would beat Scott by 8 points if the 2014 election were held today. Crist would have a 2-point edge over Rick Scott, but that's within the poll's margin of error.
Steve Bosquet, Tallahasse Bureau Chief for the Tampa Bay Times, said, "Charlie Crist has worn out his welcome with at least a third of the electorate, according to this poll. Because he's left the Republican Party, he's become an Independent, now he's very closely moving towards the Democratic side. People know that his positions on a lot of very important issues have fluctuated. I don't think people are comfortable yet with ‘the new Charlie Crist’, that's the way I put it."
The poll also shows that Crist's high-profile endorsement of President Obama at the Democratic National Convention has done little to help Obama in Florida.
A mere 8% of those surveyed said they were influenced by Crist to vote for Obama.