New Poll Shows Florida Voters Care Deeply About Survivors Of Sexual Assault 

A Florida poll reveals that GOP primary voters want politicians who will pursue justice for survivors. 

SARASOTA, FL – A new poll by SURVIVOR PAC in Sarasota and Manatee counties of Republican GOP Primary voters shows that voters are much more likely to support candidates who will advocate for the rights of sexual assault and rape survivors. 

This poll shows that GOP primary voters favor candidates who will advocate for survivors of rape and sexual assault, reduce barriers to reporting incidents of assault and will promote survivors’ healing while holding offenders accountable. 



Equally impressive was the support for “Early Evidence Kits’ which allow victims to gather their own evidence of their assault without needing to go through a 4- to 6-hour long examination in a hospital with 71% supporting the availability of this new technology and 40% strongly supporting. 45% of women strongly support having this option available.

The full poll results can be found here: https://survivorpac.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/1223-Sarasota-Manatee-Toplines.pdf

77% of Republican primary voters said they were more likely to support a candidate who would be a strong advocate for survivors of sexual assault with a near majority – 48% – saying they would be much “more likely to support” such a candidate. Only 4% said they would be less likely. 

“You don’t see many issues as clearly defined as this. Republicans voters want legislators who will stand up for victims and give law enforcement the tools they need to protect women from sexual assault,” said pollster Thomas Eldon. 

This new poll comes on the heels of the scandal surrounding Bridget Ziegler, a member of the Sarasota County School Board and her husband Christian Ziegler, the Chair of the Florida Republican Party. Christian Ziegler has been accused of sexual assault and his wife Bridget Ziegler is potentially involved. 

SURVIVOR PAC is a political action committee that fights for the rights of survivors of crime and victims of sexual assault. Their executive director, Madison Campbell, provided the following statement based on the results of the poll: 

“Florida Republicans have made it very clear that they want their candidates to take issues of sexual assault and rape seriously – and they want their politicians to provide survivors with as many resources as possible to do so. We urge legislators and politicians at all levels to explore new ways to ensure Florida survivors get the justice and resources they deserve.” 

The poll also explores other issues in Florida like the feelings about crime, the overwhelming support for early evidence collection kits, and more.  

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