State Senator Lizbeth Benacquisto is the top choice of Republican voters in Florida’s 19th Congressional District to replace disgraced former U.S. Rep. Trey Radel in Congress, according to a new poll taken on the day of Radel’s resignation.
Benacquisto leads a four-way field of possible candidates, all of whom are reportedly interested in running in a prospective special election to replace Radel. Among active Republican voters in CD 19, Benacquisto receives 33 percent of respondents’ support, former U.S. Rep Connie Mack 22 percent, Chauncey Goss 15% and former state Representative Paige Kreegel 10%. Twenty percent of voters say they are undecided.
The survey was taken by St. Pete Polls and commissioned by SaintPetersBlog.
Driving Benacquisto’s numbers is a strong favorability rating among CD 19 Republicans. Fifty-two percent say they have a favorable opinion of Benacquisto, the current Majority Leader of the Florida Senate. Mack’s favorability rating is upside down at 40 percent favorable/45 percent unfavorable. Goss is at 36/22 favorable to unfavorable, while Kreegel is at 26/25 favorable to unfavorable.
No timetable has been set by Gov. Rick Scott for a special election.
Congressional District 19 is solidly Republican — Mitt Romney won the district with 61 percent of the vote.
The poll has a margin of error of 2.7%.
[scribd id=202768287 key=key-1av0ii05j8p0fng2rz2k mode=scroll]
