It's a Jeb Bush romp in Florida against the state's Republican Sen. Marco Rubio in a presidential matchup, a new poll shows.
The
Saint Leo University Polling Institute survey, released Wednesday, shows 44 percent of Florida voters want to see the former governor run for president, against 38 percent who say he shouldn’t.
Only 28 percent of voters say they'd like to see Rubio run; 48 percent think he ought to stay in the Senate, the poll finds.
And if Bush and Rubio were both to run for the White House, 43 percent of Floridians say they’d support Bush, compared to just 19 percent for Rubio.
"The conventional wisdom is that there’s only room for one Florida Republican in the presidential field, Bush or Rubio – and the clear-cut winner is Jeb Bush," Saint Leo political scientist Frank Orlando said.
"As Florida’s 'favorite son,' he appears to be winning the invisible primary. Our poll results confirm beyond a doubt his dominance over Rubio and the other Republican contenders. Jeb is wildly popular among Floridians. I was surprised at his massive advantage."
According to the survey, Bush is the only GOP presidential contender to lead Hillary Clinton in Florida, edging her 43 percent to 42 percent, with 15 percent still undecided.
The survey found voters like both native sons: Bush has a 57/37 percent favorability rating, while Rubio comes in with a 52/37 percent rating.
The poll's margin of error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
Some GOP strategists believe if Bush tosses his hat in the ring, it would freeze out Rubio from raising cash from big donors,
The Hill reports.
Yet Rubio's considered a rising star in the party who'd be a formidable presidential candidate, The Hill reports, and many Republicans believe he'd be a top-tier vice presidential pick.
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