Poll: Bush leads Rubio in Florida

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has a big lead over the field of Republican presidential candidates in his home state, while Sen. Marco Rubio’s (R-Fla.) support is falling in the Sunshine State.

According to a survey released Friday by Mason-Dixon Polling and Research, Bush holds a double-digit lead over the field, taking 28 percent support.

{mosads}Rubio is in second place, with 16 percent support, followed by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, at 13 percent, and businessman Donald Trump, at 11 percent.

That’s a big drop for Rubio. In the same survey from April, Bush held only a slight 31 to 30 advantage over his home-state rival for the GOP presidential nomination.

Rubio sought to diminish the poll’s findings in an interview on “CBS This Morning,” saying it was part of the natural ebb and flow of the presidential race.

“This happens in these presidential races,” Rubio said. “These polls swing up and down. I’ve been up higher than I am today. I’ve been lower than I am now. These polls at this point basically are measuring who people are hearing about on the news, and Donald Trump is benefiting from that.”

Trump has shot to the top of the polls since entering the race, but the Mason-Dixon poll shows his support likely has a ceiling.

Fifty-eight percent of those surveyed said they would never even consider voting for him, with only 27 percent saying they would seriously consider voting for him.

Florida’s March 15 primary will be among the first winner-take-all primaries in the country, with 99 delegates, raising the stakes for candidates there. The delegates for contests before March 15 are awarded proportionately.

The Mason-Dixon poll of 500 registered voters in Florida was conducted between July 20 and July 23 and has a 4.5 percentage point margin of error.