Hillary Clinton has the Edge on Republicans in Florida 2016 Poll

A poll from Quinnipiac University released on Thursday finds former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the easy favorite for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016, ahead of her Republican rivals in Florida, the largest swing state on the electoral map. The poll shows Clinton besting her possible Republican opponents, including two from the Sunshine State.

"Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton may be taking some criticism recently in the news media and among some liberal Democratic precincts, but nothing has changed among average voters in Florida where she remains queen of the political prom," said Peter Brown, the assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll, on Thursday.

Former Gov. Jeb Bush, R-Fla., does best against Clinton in the poll but he comes up short, losing 49 percent to 42 percent. The poll shows no other Republican keeps within single digits of Clinton. The Democrat takes a majority of voters -- 53 percent -- against U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who garners 39 percent. Clinton does slightly better against U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., beating him 53 percent to 37 percent. Matched against Gov. Chris Christie, R-N.J., Clinton routs the Republicans, 54 percent to 33 percent. U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., keeps it a little closer but Clinton still leads 51 percent to 38 percent.

"Secretary Clinton leads the Republicans against whom she is matched by double digits with the exception of former Gov. Bush who trails her by 7 points," Brown said. "Inside the Beltway they may be talking about Mrs. Clinton's potential weaknesses should she run in 2016. But at this point in Florida, the nation's largest presidential swing state, her assets overwhelm any vulnerabilities."

The poll of 1,251 registered Florida voters was taken from July 17-21 and had a margin of error of +/- 2.8 percent.