A new poll shows Florida Democrats are already on former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clintons bandwagon even before she announces a presidential bid for 2016.
Quinnipiac University released a poll of Florida Democrats on Wednesday which shows Clinton is easily lapping her potential primary rivals in the Sunshine State.
Clinton leads the pack with 61 percent followed by Vice President Joe Biden in distant second with 11 percent. U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., takes 9 percent with U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-Vt., at 2 percent. Former Gov. Martin OMalley, D-Md., and former U.S. Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., lag behind with 1 percent each.
When Clinton is taken out of the mix, Biden moves ahead to 39 percent followed by Warren with 22 percent. None of the other candidates crack 3 percent in that scenario.
Peter Brown, the assistant director of the Quinnipiac Poll, pointed to the Florida results and Quinnipiac surveys of Ohio and Pennsylvania released on Wednesday, which showed Clinton with a large lead in those states as well as evidence she is far ahead of her primary rivals.
Hillary Clinton has an overwhelming lead and currently no serious challengers, Brown said on Wednesday. Should she decide not to run, the field could grow like a weed. If she stays in, the numbers indicate she has nothing to worry about when it comes to the Democratic nomination."
The Q-poll also shows Clinton in excellent shape with Florida Democrats as 88 percent of them see her in favorable light. Only 10 percent of Florida Democrats see her as unfavorable, according to the poll.
The poll of 322 Florida Democrats was taken from Jan. 22-Feb. 1 and had a margin of error of +/- 5.5 percent.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
