A new poll shows a two-man race between Oliver Gilbert and Shevrin Jones in the Democratic Primary to succeed U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson.
A St. Pete Polls survey commissioned by Florida Politics shows Gilbert, an outgoing Miami-Dade County Commissioner, with support from 27% of likely Democratic voters in Florida’s 24th Congressional District. About 24% support Jones, a sitting state Senator — a gap inside the survey’s margin of error of 5.6 percentage points.
No other candidate cracks 10% of the vote, though Kendrick Meek Jr., the son of former U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, comes just shy of that mark.
Longtime African Heritage Cultural Arts Center director Marshall Davis and Dr. Rudolph Moise each register just over 1%, while former Miami-Dade County Commissioner Jean Monestime and former Wilson staffer Roderick Vereen fall short of that mark.
The strength of the top three is no huge surprise, considering all have rallied significant endorsements since announcing. Wilson endorsed Gilbert as her preferred successor, and Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava sided with him as well. Gilbert also leads the field in outside money, collecting more than $524,000 in the few weeks since Wilson announced she wouldn’t seek re-election and he entered the race.
Jones has clocked a lengthy roster of major endorsers, including Broward County Property Appraiser Marty Kiar, Broward County Commissioner Alexandra Davis, former Miami-Dade Commissioners Betty Ferguson and Barbara Jordan, West Park Mayor Felicia Brunson, Pembroke Pines Mayor Angelo Castillo and Hollywood Mayor Josh Levy. He also has backing from the Miami AFL-CIO, United Teachers of Dade and 314 Action, and the LGBTQ lawmaker has endorsements from groups such as Equality PAC.
Meek has notched endorsements too, including from former U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson and Miami Heat legend Alonzo Mourning. He has raised almost $487,000 but spent less than $68,000 of it as of the end of June, leaving him with more cash on hand than anyone in the field. So far, though, that war chest hasn’t translated to support on the ground.
Jones’ campaign, meanwhile, touts hundreds of volunteers and more than 50,000 voter contacts. Of the $148,000 he reported raising through June, he has spent nearly $91,000 out of the gate. Gilbert has spent more than $301,000.
No one has spent more than Moise, though. The physician has put nearly $447,000 of his own money into the race and spent more than $555,000 — the most of any candidate — for his 1% showing.
The poll shows more than a third of voters, 36%, remain undecided in the race.
It also shows 28% of men favoring Jones to Gilbert’s 25%, while almost 29% of women favor Gilbert compared to 21% who prefer Jones.
A quarter of voters under 30 back Jones, a group in which no respondents supported Gilbert. Jones also edges Gilbert 27% to 25% among respondents ages 30 to 49. But nearly 30% of voters 50 and older prefer Gilbert.