Miami
Poll puts Katherine Waldron ahead of Sara Baxter in Palm Beach
A Beacon Insights survey shows the former state lawmaker with a sizable lead in the race for Palm Beach County Commission District 6. The poll also has Democrats leading other key contests in the county.
A Beacon Insights poll cited by Florida Politics shows former state Rep. Katherine Waldron leading County Commissioner Sara Baxter in the election for Palm Beach County Commission District 6.
The survey gives Waldron nearly 52% support among registered voters, compared with 37% for Baxter. Florida Politics reported that the gap of almost 15 points is larger than the poll’s 5.25-point margin of error.
Waldron and Baxter won the Democratic and Republican nominations, respectively, for the seat in August.
According to the outlet, the poll was modeled on 2022 turnout, a framework that would ordinarily benefit Republicans. That year, Baxter won the seat with less than 53% of the vote, while Ron DeSantis carried 51% of the county during his re-election campaign.
The poll also points to a difficult environment for Republicans in Palm Beach County. In the Governor’s race, Democrat David Jolly leads Republican Byron Donalds 50% to 42%. In the U.S. Senate contest, Democrat Angie Nixon posts 49% to Republican Ashley Moody’s 43%.
Florida Politics also noted that on a generic ballot, respondents preferred a Democrat over a Republican by 47% to 39%, suggesting Waldron is running ahead of that benchmark while Baxter is running behind her party’s baseline.
Baxter’s favorability numbers are also negative: more than 38% viewed her unfavorably, while only about 24% had a favorable opinion, according to the survey.
In the same poll, Donald Trump, a Palm Beach County resident, was also underwater there, with nearly 58% rating him unfavorably and fewer than 42% favorably.
The survey also tested balanced candidate biographies for both contenders. After that information, Waldron’s lead widened, with more than 59% backing her and fewer than 41% choosing Baxter, as reported by Florida Politics.
Sources
About this piece. Written by El Notero with AI assistance, from reporting published by the outlet cited above. El Notero did no original reporting on this story.
