Republican candidates have the lead over former U.S. Sec. of State Hillary Clinton, the favorite for the Democratic nomination, in Florida, the largest swing state on the map, a new poll shows.
Florida Atlantic University’s (FAU) Business and Economics Polling Initiative (BEPI) unveiled a poll on Wednesday showing the top GOP contenders beating Clinton in the Sunshine State.
Dr. Ben Carson holds the largest lead over Clinton, beating her 50 percent to 41 percent. In a FAU poll taken in September, Carson led 52 percent to 40 percent.
Businessman Donald Trump has expanded his lead over Clinton, the poll shows. Trump edged Clinton 46 percent to 45 percent in September but leads 49 percent to 41 percent in the new poll.
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., led Clinton 50 percent to 42 percent in September. The new poll shows little movement there with Rubio now ahead 50 percent to 43 percent.
The gap between former Gov. Jeb Bush, R-Fla., and Clinton has closed but that seems to be the result of Bush losing ground than Clinton gaining any. Bush now leads Clinton 44 percent to 40 percent while, back in September, he was ahead 49 percent to 41 percent.
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, leads Clinton 48 percent to 45 percent. Cruz was not matched against Clinton in the September poll.
All of the candidates are upside down in the Sunshine State, the poll shows. Clinton is viewed as unfavorable by 54 percent while 41 percent see her as favorable. A majority of those surveyed--52 percent--see Bush as unfavorable while 34 percent view him in a favorable light. Trump is seen in an unfavorable light by 51 percent while 41 percent see him favorably. Cruz is seen as favorable by 35 percent and unfavorable by 48 percent. Rubio is seen as favorable by 42 percent and unfavorable by 47 percent. Carson does the best here but he remains upside down with 46 percent viewing him as unfavorable while 42 percent see him favorably.
A majority of those surveyed--52 percent--think Clinton using a private server for her official email is relevant to the campaign but 48 percent say it is not. Asked if Carson has been treated favorably by the media, 57 percent of those surveyed say he has been while 43 percent say he’s been unfairly targeted. Turning to Rubio using a charge card issued by the Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) during his time in the Florida House almost ten years ago, 35 percent say it’s a valid issue while 54 percent say it isn’t.
The poll of 829 registered Florida voters was taken on Nov. 15-Nov. 16 and had a margin of error of +/- 3.3 percent.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
