Politics

/

ArcaMax

Epstein files the biggest drag on Trump's approval rating in Florida, poll finds

Claire Heddles, Miami Herald on

Published in Political News

President Donald Trump’s handling of the investigative files into sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein marks the biggest hit to his net approval ratings in Florida, according to a statewide poll conducted by Democratic consultants.

Other issues resulting in low approval numbers included abortion, government spending, Iran and the economy, ranked by unpopularity, according to the poll’s findings. But Trump — now underwater with Florida voters — performed the worst on the issue of the Epstein files, with a net approval rating of minus-25.

Trump has repeatedly tried to suppress coverage and attention on Epstein over the past year, largely unsuccessfully. Epstein was in the news cycle again last week, after first lady Melania Trump gave an unexpected statement saying her relationship to Epstein was not a close one.

Trump also recently fired former Attorney General Pam Bondi, whose tenure was largely defined by Epstein.

Trump initially opposed a bill last fall that would mandate the release of all investigatory files in Epstein, but eventually agreed to support the law after it appeared House Republicans were going to support it with or without him.

Bondi’s scattershot compliance of that law drew outrage from victims. Under her leadership, the Department of Justice blew past multiple release deadlines under the act. The files her department eventually released also revealed victims’ names and personal information, while redacting details not eligible to be hidden from the public under the law.

Even among Florida Republicans, who broadly approved of Trump’s handling of other issues, his net approval rating on the Epstein files was only plus-29.5, according to a poll conducted by EDGE Communications and MDW Communications. The poll found 21% of voters rated corruption as the issue they were most concerned about.

EDGE Founder Christian Ulvert said to expect talk of Epstein on the campaign trail. He’s managing the campaigns of a slate of mostly down-ballot Democratic candidates this election cycle.

 

“It will continue to have an impact heading into November, and you can expect candidates to remind voters what’s at stake when it comes to truth, safety, and justice — not as a political talking point, but as a question of leadership and accountability,” Ulvert wrote in a statement.

That message will be especially targeted toward no-party-affiliated voters, who Democrats say will be the key to winning in Florida. The new poll showed a surge of support for Democrats these voters, who make up almost a third of Florida’s electorate.

Polls tend to over-represent the views of liberal no-party-affiliated voters, according to Martin Page, a partner at MDW Communications. To correct for that, the consulting firms polled a larger number of conservative-leaning no-party voters “to correct for a liberal response bias,” Page said.

Their findings showed 52% of NPA voters were more likely to vote for a Democratic candidate for Congress compared to a Republican one. Just 26% of these voters said they were more likely to vote for a Republican candidate for Congress. The rest were undecided.

Democrats say the trend is evidence the tides could move in their favor, despite years of losing statewide elections and a massive voter registration disadvantage in Florida.

“Most important here is understanding that it’s areas with heavy NPA registration” where Democrats have over performed in special elections in recent months, Ulvert said. “Our fortunes as Democrats are going to rest with them.”

_____


©2026 Miami Herald. Visit at miamiherald.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

 

Comments

blog comments powered by Disqus

 

Related Channels

The ACLU

ACLU

By The ACLU
Amy Goodman

Amy Goodman

By Amy Goodman
Armstrong Williams

Armstrong Williams

By Armstrong Williams
Austin Bay

Austin Bay

By Austin Bay
Ben Shapiro

Ben Shapiro

By Ben Shapiro
Betsy McCaughey

Betsy McCaughey

By Betsy McCaughey
Bill Press

Bill Press

By Bill Press
Bonnie Jean Feldkamp

Bonnie Jean Feldkamp

By Bonnie Jean Feldkamp
Cal Thomas

Cal Thomas

By Cal Thomas
Clarence Page

Clarence Page

By Clarence Page
Danny Tyree

Danny Tyree

By Danny Tyree
David Harsanyi

David Harsanyi

By David Harsanyi
Debra Saunders

Debra Saunders

By Debra Saunders
Dennis Prager

Dennis Prager

By Dennis Prager
Dick Polman

Dick Polman

By Dick Polman
Erick Erickson

Erick Erickson

By Erick Erickson
Froma Harrop

Froma Harrop

By Froma Harrop
Jacob Sullum

Jacob Sullum

By Jacob Sullum
Jamie Stiehm

Jamie Stiehm

By Jamie Stiehm
Jeff Robbins

Jeff Robbins

By Jeff Robbins
Jessica Johnson

Jessica Johnson

By Jessica Johnson
Jim Hightower

Jim Hightower

By Jim Hightower
Joe Conason

Joe Conason

By Joe Conason
John Stossel

John Stossel

By John Stossel
Josh Hammer

Josh Hammer

By Josh Hammer
Judge Andrew P. Napolitano

Judge Andrew Napolitano

By Judge Andrew P. Napolitano
Laura Hollis

Laura Hollis

By Laura Hollis
Marc Munroe Dion

Marc Munroe Dion

By Marc Munroe Dion
Michael Barone

Michael Barone

By Michael Barone
Mona Charen

Mona Charen

By Mona Charen
Rachel Marsden

Rachel Marsden

By Rachel Marsden
Rich Lowry

Rich Lowry

By Rich Lowry
Robert B. Reich

Robert B. Reich

By Robert B. Reich
Ruben Navarrett Jr.

Ruben Navarrett Jr

By Ruben Navarrett Jr.
Ruth Marcus

Ruth Marcus

By Ruth Marcus
S.E. Cupp

S.E. Cupp

By S.E. Cupp
Salena Zito

Salena Zito

By Salena Zito
Star Parker

Star Parker

By Star Parker
Stephen Moore

Stephen Moore

By Stephen Moore
Susan Estrich

Susan Estrich

By Susan Estrich
Ted Rall

Ted Rall

By Ted Rall
Terence P. Jeffrey

Terence P. Jeffrey

By Terence P. Jeffrey
Tim Graham

Tim Graham

By Tim Graham
Tom Purcell

Tom Purcell

By Tom Purcell
Veronique de Rugy

Veronique de Rugy

By Veronique de Rugy
Victor Joecks

Victor Joecks

By Victor Joecks
Wayne Allyn Root

Wayne Allyn Root

By Wayne Allyn Root

Comics

Bob Englehart Al Goodwyn Monte Wolverton John Cole Peter Kuper John Branch