Democratic incumbent U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson and Florida Gov. Rick Scott are tied in a poll of the Florida Senate electoral race released Wednesday by Quinnipiac University.
Nelson and Scott are locked at 49 percent of support among likely voters, according to the poll.
While 55 percent of white voters support Scott, 44 percent support Nelson. Black voters support Nelson 90 percent to Scott's 5 percent and Hispanic voters support Scott, the Republican candidate, 59 percent to Nelson's 39 percent
"The Florida Senate race, one of the most important this election year, is a dead heat," Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University poll, said in a statement. "Sen. Bill Nelson, the Democratic incumbent, faces the most difficult challenge of his long political career."
Along party lines, Republicans support Scott 92 percent to Nelson's 7 percent, and Democrats support Nelson 89 percent to Scott's 8 percent. Independent voters support Nelson 56 percent to Scott's 43 percent.
"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," Brown added.
Among those polled, 92 percent who named a candidate said their mind is made up.
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Nelson's favorability rating is 48 percent, while Scott's is 49 percent.
The poll, which has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.3 percentage points, surveyed 785 Florida likely voters from Thursday to Monday.
Nelson was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2000 and is Florida's only statewide elected Democrat. Scott was first elected amid the Tea Party movement in 2010 but has flipped on some of his hardline positions, including immigration.
Term limits prohibit Scott from seeking a third term as the governor of Florida.
A separate poll by Quinnipiac University released Tuesday said the gubernatorial election race in Florida is too close to call.
