Florida Democrats like Vice President Joe Biden but former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton remains their preferred presidential candidate, a new poll shows.
Public Policy Polling (PPP), a firm with connections to prominent Democrats, released a poll of the Democratic presidential primary in the Sunshine State which shows Clinton in the pole position.
Clinton takes 55 percent of Florida Democrats while U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., edges Biden for second, leading the vice president 18 percent to 17 percent.
“Florida provides more evidence of Hillary Clinton remaining strong for the Democratic
nomination in the South even as she struggles in Iowa and New Hampshire,” said Dean
Debnam, the president of PPP, on Tuesday.
The rest of the field places in low single digits. Former Gov. Martin O’Malley, D-Md., takes 2 percent while two other candidates -- former U.S. Sen. and Gov. Lincoln Chafee, D-R.I., and former U.S. Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va.-- pull 1 percent each. Harvard Professor Lawrence Lessig, who launched his campaign focused on political reform earlier this month, takes less than 1 percent.
While he is in third, Biden does well with Florida Democrats as 76 percent see him as favorable and only 16 percent view him as unfavorable. Clinton is right behind him with 75 percent of Florida Democrats seeing her as favorable while 18 percent see her as unfavorable.
Sanders is not as well-known but 49 percent of those surveyed see him as favorable while 21 percent view him as unfavorable.
The poll of 369 Florida Democrats was taken from Sept. 11-13 and had a margin of error of +/- 5.1 percent.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
