Trump, Clinton Lead Florida Primaries, Poll Reveals

While former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump would win Florida’s Democratic and Republican primaries, respectively, if the election were staged now, Vice President Joe Biden would have an edge over Clinton in the general election, the latest Quinnipiac University Swing State Poll revealed.

The results of the latest poll, focusing on Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania, were released Thursday. The results show if the general election were staged now, Biden would edge out Trump in Florida by 45 percent to 42 percent. Though not officially in the race as of yet, Biden would also beat Trump, the Republican frontrunner, in Ohio and Pennsylvania, as well.

Quinnipiac pollsters focus on Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania as the key “swing states” because no candidate has won the White House since 1960 without taking at least two of these states. Pollsters noted that while Clinton and Trump lead their respective party nomination races the two candidates also have the lowest overall favorability ratings in regard for honesty and trustworthiness.

Biden did better in head-to-head matchups against the Republican Party’s three leading contenders than Clinton, Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the poll noted.

“Hillary Clinton’s poll numbers are like a leaky faucet: drip...drip... drip,” Brown was quoted in a release on the Aug. 20 polls as saying. “She is now getting less than half the vote in all three states’ Democratic primaries,” Brown added. “Perhaps most telling is how poorly she scores when all voters in these three key states are asked about her empathy, honesty and temperament. In Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania she averages a negative 37 - 55 percent favorability. Donald Trump is in the same leaky boat, averaging a negative 34 - 53 percent favorability.”

In regard to the Florida Primary, Clinton has 48 percent of Florida Democrats in her corner, Quinnipiac noted. She’s followed by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders with 15 percent and 11 percent for Biden.

In the Republican Primary, Trump leads Florida with 21 percent of the voters, followed by former Gov. Jeb Bush at 17 percent. Dr. Ben Carson and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio each have 11 percent of the vote.

When poll respondents were asked about the general election, however, the favorites changed a bit. All three Republican frontrunners – Trump, Rubio and Bush – would beat Clinton.

The general election numbers came out as follows in the Sunshine State:

• Bush over Clinton 49 to 38 percent
• Rubio over Clinton 51 to 39 percent
• Trump over Clinton 43 to 41 percent
• Bush over Biden 51 to 38 percent
• Rubio over Biden 48 to 42 percent
• Biden over Trump 45 to 42 percent
• Bush over Sanders 54 to 35 percent
• Rubio over Sanders 52 to 36 percent
• Trump over Sanders 45 to 41 percent

To read the full results of the poll, visit Quinnipiac University online.

Florida’s Presidential Preference Primary Election is set for March 15, 2016. The general election is Nov. 8, 2016.

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