It's a clean sweep for Hillary Clinton in Florida, poll shows

Even in Florida, voters would rather see another Clinton in the White House than another Bush, with a new poll shows Hillary Clinton has as much as a 21 percentage point lead over potential GOP candidates.

The Quinnipiac University poll released today gives her supporters more ammunition to nudge her in the direction of a presidential run.

Clinton’s closest competitor is Jeb Bush, with 49 percent of Florida voters saying they’d vote for Clinton in a head-to-head matchup, compared to 42 percent who said they’d go rather have a third Bush in the White House.

Here’s how she fares against other GOP candidates:

• 53 – 39 percent over Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.);
• 53 – 37 percent over Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.);
• 54 – 33 percent over New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie;
• 51 – 38 percent over U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan (Wis.).

“Secretary Clinton leads the Republicans against whom she is matched by double digits with the exception of former Gov. Bush who trails her by 7 points,” said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll. “Inside the Beltway they may be talking about Mrs. Clinton’s potential weaknesses should she run in 2016. But at this point in Florida, the nation’s largest presidential swing state, her assets overwhelm any vulnerabilities.”

When it comes to the Democratic primary, Clinton gets 67 percent of the vote, according to the poll. This is up from 64 percent in a May poll. Her next two closest competitors are Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) with 8 percent each.

“Two-thirds of Democrats say she is their candidate for 2016 and none of the others even makes it into double digits,” Brown said. “Sunshine Staters are on top when Florida Republicans are asked their top 2016 choice, but former Gov. Jeb Bush slips a little and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio just about caught up with him.”