Trump Trounces Rubio In Florida Poll

WFSU | By Ronald J. Ebben

Published February 25, 2016 at 5:55 PM EST

Marco Rubio is getting clobbered by Donald Trump in his home state of Florida, where a Quinnipiac University poll shows the front runner is polling at an all-time high in the Republican race for president. Trump's 16 point lead over Rubio in Florida reflects the momentum of the New York billionaire's string of fist place finishes in the last three early-state races. And it blunts the Florida senator's augment that he's the only candidate who can defeat the front runner in a one-on-one race.

Also, poll Director Peter Brown says the results give more ammunition to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz who is favored by 12 percent and running a distant third in the Florida poll. Brown says it's hard to see how Senator Rubio can win the Republican party's nomination without winning his home state.

State News

Ronald J. Ebben

Ronald J. Ebben has 50 years of experience in broadcast news. Ron’s first assignment was covering the Kennedy-Nixon 1960 election in Peoria, Ill. His first News Director position was in 1963 at a Fort Worth, Texas, radio station. He carried Kennedy speech in downtown Fort Worth before JFK was assassinated later that morning in Dallas. And he was in the newsroom to see those fateful words come over United Press International wire: the “president had been shot.” Ron served as News Director for Tampa Bay stations from 1968 to 1990 and hosted the “Live with the Governor” statewide call-in show with Gov. Bob Martinez. In 1990, he became News Director of a statewide network with 26 affiliates. From 1991 to 2000 Ron was News Director at WTNT and Program Director for WNLS. Since 2000 Ron has served as :Morning Edition: host for WFSU News.

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