(CNN) - A new poll is the third this month to indicate Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida with a 14-point lead over his Republican challenger, Rep. Connie Mack.
According to a Washington Post survey released Tuesday, the two-term senator has the support of 54% of likely voters in the Sunshine State, with Mack grabbing 40%.
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Two other non-partisan, live operator polls conducted over the past two and a half weeks also have Nelson up by 14 points: Fox News (Nelson 49%-Mack 35%) and NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist (Nelson 51%-Mack 37%).
A Mason Dixon poll released earlier this week indicated Nelson leading 48%-40% over Mack. Some partisan polling indicates a closer contest.
While Nelson has a lead in Florida's Senate race, polling suggests the battle for the state's 29 electoral votes is much closer. A CNN Poll of Polls that averages the last five non-partisan live operator surveys of the presidential contest in Florida indicates President Barack Obama with a 49%-45% advantage over Republican nominee Mitt Romney.
"The Florida Senate race was always going to be competitive given the swing nature of the state, but even Republicans were initially skeptical they could knock off Bill Nelson and have always had concerns about Connie Mack's campaign," said Jessica Taylor, senior analyst and reporter for the non-partisan Rothenberg Political Report. "With voters starting to come off the sidelines, the race has now normalized somewhat, and it looks like Nelson is gaining the lead he was expected to have from the beginning. The presidential race is still going to be close, but Mack probably needs a Romney surge to defeat Nelson, and that looks highly unlikely."
Democrats currently control the Senate 53-47, but they're defending 23 (21 Democrats and two independents who caucus with the party) of the 33 seats up for grabs in November.
