As Vice President Joe Biden nears a decision to enter the 2016 presidential race, a new poll of Florida Democrats shows former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton holds a commanding lead regardless of what he does.
On Wednesday morning, Quinnipiac University released a poll of Florida Democrats showing Clinton in charge of the Democratic primary.
When Biden is included, Clinton leads with 43 percent. Biden and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., tie for second with 19 percent each.
The other candidates are simply not factors in the Sunshine State. Former U.S. Sen. and Gov. Lincoln Chafee, D-R.I., campaign finance reform advocate Larry Lessig, former Gov. Martin O’Malley, D-Md., and former U.S. Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., all pull less than 1 percent in the poll.
When Biden is taken out of the equation, Clinton’s lead expands. In that scenario, a majority of Florida Democrats -- 54 percent -- back Clinton. Sanders is in second with 23 percent. Webb moves up to 1 percent and the other candidates remain with less than 1 percent.
Asked if there were any candidates they could not support, 13 percent of Florida Democrats say Clinton, 11 percent say O’Malley and 10 percent say Webb. Nine percent of those surveyed say they could not vote for Chafee, Lessig and Sanders. Biden does better here than his potential rivals with only 7 percent of Florida Democrats saying they could not vote for the vice president.
The poll of 411 Florida Democrats was taken from Sept. 25-Oct. 5 and had a margin of error of +/- 4.6 percent.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
