TALLAHASSEE | Real-estate tycoon Donald Trump could win the Republican presidential primary in Florida and beat former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the general election if either vote were held today, according to a new poll of Florida voters. Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, receives 19% support, behind Sen. Trump has almost three times more support than the third- place candidate, Marco Rubio.
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While 28 percent said they would rather go for honesty and integrity in a candidate, experience wasn’t much of a big deal as only 11 percent said political experience was of importance.
But 16 percent of those surveyed by Dan Jones & Associates for UtahPolicy.com said they didn’t know who they’d pick. Ted Cruz and 9 percent for Trump. Former Florida governor Jeb Bush is fifth, with 6 percent, his lowest percentage during two years of surveys. All respondents were adults, which only gives the results more meaning since it is concluded that the adults are more knowledgeable about current issues, as well as challenges that the government will leave in the hands of the new president to be elected. And Bush just continues to get more unpopular- only 27% of GOP primary voters see him favorably to 50% with a negative opinion. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, 65.5 percent to 22.4 percent.
Cruz scores best among all the candidates when Iowans are asked who is ready to be the commander in chief.
Carson is viewed as the most honest at 34% to Trump’s 23%. “Some people are going to be upset about it, but I think that now everybody is feeling that security is going to rule”. Since October, support for Carson is 8 points lower in Iowa, two points lower in New Hampshire and five points lower in SC.
Pundits all predicted that after the Paris attacks Republican voters would turn away from Trump and Carson and throw their support to a more experienced candidate like Bush or another of the establishment candidates. And while Trump still leads among a few of these groups, it’s Cruz who is ahead among the very conservative, and Trump leads Cruz by just two points among evangelical voters.
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The poll also found that New Hampshire GOP voters’ priorities have changed in the aftermath of the November 13 terrorist attacks in Paris. Trump will have to fight off Cruz for many of these voters and Rubio will try to appeal in the Panhandle and the First Coast with their large military and veterans populations.
