One of the most frequent questions surrounding the coming battle among potential GOP presidential candidates is who wins in the various matchups between those candidates who appeal to the same voter base.
Among those matchups is the obvious potential battle between Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio for the all-important Florida vote, which represents a large percentage of the total votes for the Republican nomination.
To wit, a new poll sheds some light on what that matchup might look like should both of Florida’s favorite sons choose to enter the presidential fray in the coming year.
According to a Saint Leo University Poll this week, voters were asked about each whether they prefer to see him run for president. A full 44% of Floridians approve of the idea of Jeb Bush running whereas only 28% indicated the same about Marco Rubio.
Saint Leo political science professor explained, “The conventional wisdom is that there’s only room for one Florida Republican in the presidential field, Bush or Rubio – and the clear-cut winner is Jeb Bush.”
It is a reality that Rubio likely already knows, perhaps even with internal numbers already in-hand, which might explain why his most recent pronouncements concerning his plans in 2016 have not given any indication he is inclined to a White House bid.