Florida Gov. Rick-Medicaid Fraud-Scott Will Drag on GOP in 2012 Presidential Race

Floridians are experiencing major buyer’s remorse when it comes to the governor they put into office last fall. Rick Scott–whose healthcare corporation committed the most substantial act of Medicaid fraud in U.S. history–is going to make the state a tough pick-up for the GOP, according to a new survey from Public Policy Polling:

In the survey, 40% of registered voters said Gov. Rick Scott’s actions have made them less inclined to back the GOP presidential nominee next year, versus 26% who said his actions had made it more likely they’d vote Republican in 2012. An additional 34% said Scott has had no impact on whether or not they’ll support a Republican candidate.

A key finding within those results is that almost one in five (18%) of respondents who said they disapproved of President Obama’s job performance said they were still shying away from supporting a Republican alternative because of their dissatisfaction with Scott. Further, 45% of all independent voters said they were less inclined to vote for the GOP nominee after seeing Scott’s policies in action, versus only 18% who said Scott had made them more keen to vote against Obama next year.

“In a state that’s always decided by two or three points, Scott’s unpopularity could really make the difference in tipping the state to Obama,” Director of Public Policy Polling Tom Jensen told Talking Points Memo.

“That’s why these new Republican Governors have been so good for Obama — they’re reminding swing state voters why they put the GOP out of power in 2006 and 2008,” he continued.

This is a key theme to watch next fall: will the insanely unpopular, Tea Party-backed GOP governors in key swing states–Scott in Florida, John Kasich in Ohio, Scott Walker in Wisconsin–seal the deal for Obama’s reelection? All signs point to the affirmative, at least for now, though unpopular governors elected in 1994–the last major Republican wave–were able to hold on when the economy picked up nationally.