Hillary Clinton could carry Florida in the 2016 presidential election even if she’s matched up against two popular Sunshine State Republicans, according to a poll released Thursday.
The latest survey from Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling showed the outgoing secretary of state outpacing both Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and former Gov. Jeb Bush (R) in the quadrennial battleground. In a hypothetical matchup, 50 percent of Florida voters gave the nod to Clinton compared with 46 percent who chose Rubio. Pitted against Bush, Clinton claimed a 5-point edge, 49 percent to 44 percent.
Rubio and Bush are by far the preferred candidates of Florida Republicans. Thirty-one percent of GOP voters in the state said they’d like Rubio to be the party’s nominee in 2016, compared with 26 percent who chose Bush. The next closest Republican, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R), claimed the support of only 11 percent.
Clinton, meanwhile, continued her undisputed claim as the party’s favorite, with 65 percent of Florida Democrats identifying her as their top choice for 2016. Vice President Joe Biden trailed with a mere 15 percent support of Democratic voters in the state.
