In an early look at how candidates would fare in Florida during the 2016 presidential campaign, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton leads by at least eight points over every possible GOP candidate, including former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.
According to a Quinnipiac University poll conducted April 23-28 of 1,413 registered voters, the former first lady has an 8-point lead over Bush at 49 percent to 41 percent, and is ahead of Rubio with 52 percent support compared to 40 percent.
Clinton's margins over Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie are even higher. She leads Paul with 55 percent compared to 37 percent, and Christie by 52 percent compared to 34 percent.
Clinton would also win the Democratic nomination by a landslide if the election were held today, the survey found. She has 64 percent support among the 501 Democrats surveyed, compared to 11 percent who say they would back Vice President Joe Biden. Just 6 percent would vote for Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
"For a potential Hillary Clinton candidacy in Florida, November 2016 can't get here soon enough. Not only does she out point the entire field of potential Democratic wannabes for the party nomination put together, but her favorability numbers among all voters is near 60 percent," said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll, in a statement.
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Among the 494 Republican primary voters surveyed, Bush is far ahead of the pack with 27 percent support, followed by Paul with 14 percent and Rubio at 11 percent. Christie, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, and Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan all have less than 10 percent support.
"With former Gov. Jeb Bush making noises about a possible 2016 candidacy, his support among Republicans in the Sunshine State appears to be solidifying. He still trails Hillary Clinton in a general election matchup, but he is the only potential GOP nominee who gets within single digits of her," Brown said.
Florida is considered a swing state, or battleground state. In the last six presidential elections, each main party one three times, in some cases with the popular vote split by just one percentage point.
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