New AARP Florida Poll: Voters 50+ May Tip Scales in Midterm Election

AARP Florida released key findings from a 2022 election survey that shows candidates should pay close attention to Floridians age 50 and older, with issues such as inflation, Social Security and Medicare, and taxes top of mind for these voters.

Florida residents 50+ are a crucial voting bloc, consistently showing up to the polls and making a key difference in election outcomes in Florida. In the state’s 2018 mid-term elections, the 50+ made up 62% of the electorate.

Gov. Ron DeSantis leads former Gov. Charlie Crist 50% - 47% in the race for Governor among voters overall, thanks to a 7-point lead among voters 50+. Among the 50+ population, white voters favor DeSantis by 17%, Hispanics are almost evenly divided, and Crist leads among Black voters 78% - 18%. For the U.S. Senate race, Senator Marco Rubio has a narrow 49% - 47% lead over Congresswoman Val Demings. The Senate race is similar to the contest for Governor across demographic groups among voters 18+ and 50+.

AARP Florida State Director Jeff Johnson said, “Florida voters 50 and older are a critical voting demographic that all candidates are competing for in this midterm election. With the price of necessities like groceries, housing, and health care so high, Florida residents want their leaders to provide solutions to inflation and the rising cost of living. The message is clear, if candidates want to win, they should pay attention to the issues that matter to Floridians 50-plus.”

The survey also found:

• A significant majority (76%) of voters overall think the country is headed in the wrong direction, while 51% think the same about the direction of the state.
• Only 44% of voters overall say the economy is working well for them, with 63% saying they are worried about their personal financial situation.
• The vast majority (90%) of voters 50+ say they are extremely motivated to vote in the November election.

AARP commissioned the bipartisan polling team of Fabrizio Ward & Impact Research to interview 1,626 likely Florida voters, which includes a statewide representative sample of 500 likely voters; an oversample of 550 likely voters age 50 and older for a total sample of 860; an additional oversample of 262 Hispanic likely voters age 50 and older for a total sample of 400; and an additional oversample of 314 Black likely voters age 50 and older for a total sample of 400. The survey fielded between August 24-31, 2022. The interviews were conducted via landline (30%), cellphone (35%), and SMS-to-web (35%). The margin of sampling error for the 500 statewide sample is ±4.4%; for the 860 total sample of voters 50+ is ±3.3%; for the 400 total samples of Hispanic voters 50+ and Black voters 50+ is ±4.9%. Surveys were offered in English and Spanish.   For more information on how, when and where to vote in Florida, visit aarp.org/FLvotes.