Politics

GOP Gets Higher Turnout Than Dems During Florida Primary

Kerry Picket Political Reporter
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The Republican Party attracted more voters to the polls Tuesday night than Democrats during Florida’s primary.

With 99 percent of precincts called, Republicans attracted more than 1,429,000 voters to the polls for GOP candidates running for an open Senate seat, while Democrats attracted more than 1,127,000 voters to choose the party’s nominee for the Senate run.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio easily trounced his competition on the Republican side, garnering just over 70 percent of the GOP vote, while Florida Democratic Rep. Patrick Murphy won his primary with almost 60 percent of Democratic support.

Florida is seen as a key state in the general election and both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are fighting to win favor of voters from the sunshine state.

The Orlando Sentinel reported a poll released this week that shows Florida is still too close to call between Clinton and Trump, with Clinton at 44 and Trump at 42. The poll’s margin of error is 4 percent.

Third party candidates also factored into the numbers. Libertarian Gary Johnson received 6 percent while Jill Stein garnered 2 percent.

According to the Sentinel, Trump has strong support in North and Southwest Florida, while Clinton is way ahead in Southeast Florida. As in previous election cycles, the I-4 corridor between Daytona Beach to Orlando and St. Petersburg will be key.

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