Stuck On Stupid

A new poll in the Florida governor race shows discouraging news for Democratic candidate Jim Davis, the congressman from Tampa: a 15-point gap between himself and Republican Charlie Crist, the state’s attorney general, and a relatively little-known name among Florida voters.

The poll shows Crist and his running mate, Jeff Kottkamp, leading Davis and running mate Daryl Jones by 51 percent to 36 percent, with 11 percent undecided and other candidates totaling 2 percent.

That means Davis has a lot of ground to make up on Crist and comparatively little time before the Nov. 7 election and with little money compared with Crist’s fundraising juggernaut.

Republicans exulted over the new Mason-Dixon Polling & Research survey, done for the Tribune and other Florida news agencies.

Democrats said Davis, who has been absent from television screens since the Sept. 5 primary, will start running advertising within a week and that Davis has better stances on top issues, including home insurance and education.

"Folks are ready for change," Davis said. "For eight years Charlie Crist failed to do anything to ease the crush of property taxes on homeowners and business owners. It’s too late to start talking about it just as a candidate."

The poll surveyed 625 likely voters in phone calls Sept. 20-22, with an error margin of 4 percentage points.

The Crist campaign, clearly seeking to avoid sounding overconfident, had little to say. Spokeswoman Erin Isaac said it "provides further encouragement that Charlie Crist’s positive message of hope, safety and opportunity is resonating with Floridians." She said polls don’t matter until Election Day.