Marco Rubio is the Top Choice of Ohio Republicans for VP

A Suffolk University poll released on Monday finds that U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is the top choice of likely Ohio Republican presidential primary voters to be the vice presidential candidate on the 2012 GOP ticket. The poll has Rick Santorum leading Mitt Romney in the primary on Tuesday.

The poll has Rubio leading the pack of vice presidential possibilities in Oho with 23 percent. Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey places second with 16 percent, followed by Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a veteran of Congress who briefly ran for the Republican presidential nomination in the 2000 election cycle. U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin each wins the backing of 6 percent of those surveyed, followed by a former presidential hopeful, former Gov. Jon Huntsman of Utah, with 5 percent. Another former contender for the GOP presidential nomination -- former Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota -- takes 3 percent, tying him with Gov. Jan Brewer of Arizona. Two current governors -- Nikki Haley of South Carolina and Bob McDonnell of Virginia -- take 1 percent apiece.

The poll of 500 likely Ohio Republican primary voters was taken March 3-4 and had a margin of error of +/- 4.4 percent.