Poll: Crist, Iorio Lead Packs In Senate Race

TALLAHASSEE - Florida voters want Charlie Crist to remain governor instead of going to the U.S. Senate, but he is a strong contender for either race, new poll results show.

Though no Democratic contenders for the Senate slot are obvious front-runners, Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio leads the pack.

Crist told reporters this month that he will decide after the spring legislative session whether to run for governor in 2010 or for the Senate seat now held by Mel Martinez, who is not running for re-election. Crist likely would dominate either race given his 67 percent job approval rating, according to poll results released Wednesday by the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

Forty-eight percent of voters said they would vote to re-elect Crist governor, compared with 25 percent who would vote for the Democratic candidate and 27 percent who did not know whom they would vote for.

Poll: Crist, Iorio Lead Packs In Senate Race