Donald Trump continues to lead the 17 Republican presidential candidates in Florida, but retired pediatric neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson has jumped to just four points behind the billionaire developer, according to a new survey.
But two Sunshine State politicians in the primary race, former Gov. Jeb Bush and Sen. Marco Rubio, immediately trail the two front-runners, with Bush falling to third place in the survey for Morris News Service.
Trump led the survey of 498 adults, at 29 percent, with Carson finishing at 25 percent. Bush was next, at 19 percent, with Rubio following, at 6 percent.
The survey's results were published Thursday in The Savannah Morning News. It was conducted by
Atlanta-based OpinionSavvy research firm and has a margin of error of 4 percent.
Former Hewlett-Packard Co. CEO Carly Fiorina finished at 5 percent, while the remaining candidates scored lower.
"Trump’s strongest support by far comes from the youngest of voters (age 18-29)," said OpinionSavvy pollster Matt Towery. "But he also seems to be strong with those aged 45-64, a potent segment of Florida GOP primary voters.
"Carson has a big lead among the 30-44 age group," he added. "That’s a segment that tends to be most active with schools and community issues related to their children.
"Bush remains consistent among all age groups but has lost his earlier steam, at least for the moment," Towery said.