Florida Republican senator Marco Rubio has held on to a slight lead over Democratic congressman Patrick Murphy ahead of their final Senate debate in the Sunshine State Wednesday.
A local Bay News 9/News 13 poll conducted from October 20-24 has Rubio four points ahead of Murphy, at 45 and 41 percent respectively, while a Bloomberg Politics poll conducted around the same time shows nearly double the margins, with Rubio at 51 percent and Murphy at 41 percent.
An earlier Quinnipiac University poll had Rubio and Murphy neck-and-neck among likely voters, at 49 and 47 percent respectively.
Scandals surrounding Murphy have weighed on his poll numbers in the state, with pundits noting that Rubio is up against “one of the more flawed Democratic candidates in the country.”
CNN reported Tuesday that Donald Trump granted Murphy’s family construction company multi-million dollar contracts in the mid-2000s to build two Trump buildings, the “Trump Royale” and “Trump Hollywood.” The report also featured photos of Murphy’s father with Trump at a groundbreaking. Murphy has denied that his family had business connections to the Republican nominee, calling Rubio’s accusations on the matter an “absolute lie.”
In June, a Miami CBS affiliate also reported that Murphy has “exaggerated” or “made claims that were misleading or outright false” about his experience as a Certified Public Accountant and small-business owner.
Meanwhile, Murphy has capitalized on Rubio’s ties to Trump, who in recent weeks has faced allegations of sexual assault as well as criticism over claims that the election is “rigged.” Rubio attempted to separate himself from those scandals during Florida’s first senate debate earlier this month.
“This election is not being rigged,” Rubio said. “[Trump] should stop saying that.”
