Former Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos holds a lead in Florida’s 8th Congressional District primary, with 56 percent support and strong name recognition.

Former Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos holds a strong lead in Florida’s 8th Congressional District primary, according to a new poll from his campaign.

The poll shows Haridopolos with 56 percent support, ahead of John Hearton at 6 percent and Joseph Babits at 4 percent, while undecided voters account for 33 percent. When undecided voters were asked to choose, 59 percent favored Haridopolos, while 31 percent supported Hearton and 10 percent backed Babits.

Haridopolos also has high name recognition, with 67 percent of respondents viewing him favorably and 12 percent unfavorably. 6 percent of voters said they had never heard of him. In comparison, Hearton has a 20 percent favorable rating and Babits 19 percent.

The poll, conducted by Spry Strategies from July 23 to July 26, used IVR and online text-to-web interviews with a sample of 532 likely primary voters. The margin of error is +/- 4.2 percentage points.

Haridopolos’ campaign has raised more than $1 million and received endorsements from former President Donald Trump, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, U.S. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, U.S. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, U.S. House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, the NRA, and a collection of state lawmakers.

Haridopolos announced his candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives in Florida’s 8th Congressional District in April, aiming to succeed the retiring Rep. Bill Posey. The announcement came hours after Posey, a Republican who has represented the district since 2008, declared he would not seek reelection at the end of his term. Posey subsequently endorsed Haridopolos.

Congressional District 8, covering Brevard, Indian River, and part of Orange Counties, is a Republican stronghold, with Posey having secured the seat comfortably in past elections.