Zac Anderson Political Editor @zacjanderson

Monday

Jun 25, 2018 at 11:24 AM Jun 25, 2018 at 11:24 AM

Even as Democrats continue to win close elections in Florida, there is growing evidence that animus toward President Donald Trump may not be as big of a factor in the state's midterm election as Democrats might like.

A CBS News poll conducted between June 19 and June 22 provides the latest piece of good news for Republicans hoping to beat back a predicted "blue wave." Trump has a positive approval rating in the poll of 1002 registered voters, with 52 percent of those surveyed saying he's doing a good job and 48 percent voicing disapproval.

The CBS News survey comes on the heels of a Politico poll released last week that had Trump at 48 percent approval in Florida and 49 percent disapproval. Factoring in the margin of error in both polls, Trump basically is even when it comes to those who approve and disapprove of his performance, a big improvement from just a few months ago. A Quinnipiac University Poll from February had Trump at 42 percent approval in Florida and 54 percent disapproval.

The polls don't measure voter enthusiasm. Democrats are energized to push back against Trump and the GOP agenda right now and have been getting out to vote.

Democrats have been on a roll in Florida over the last 18 months, winning all of the closely-watched races that political observers considered bellwether contests, including a Miami state Senate seat and the mayor's race in St. Petersburg.

State Rep. Margaret Good won a February special election for a Sarasota state House seat that Trump carried by more than four percentage points. Most recently, Democrats prevailed in a close Miami-Dade County Commission race.

But the CBS News survey indicates that Democrats may alienate some swing voters if they emphasize opposition to Trump and his policies.

And being associated with Trump hasn't hurt candidates such as Gov. Rick Scott. The CBS poll had Scott, a Republican who strongly backed Trump in 2016, leading by five percentage points among likely voters in his bid to unseat Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson. Scott had the support of 46 percent of likely voters, compared to 41 percent for Nelson. The governor's approval rating in the poll is 62 percent.

The poll also found that 57 percent of Florida voters disapprove of removing children from their parents when families cross the border illegally.