Polls: Trump leads in Florida, Kasich on top in Ohio

John Kasich leads the field in his home state of Ohio, while Donald Trump is running away with the contest in Florida, according to Fox News surveys released Wednesday.

In Florida, Trump is crushing Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) on his home turf, holding a 43 percent to 20 percent advantage. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R) clocks in at 16 percent, followed by Kasich at 10 percent.

It’s the third survey of Florida released Wednesday to show Trump with a commanding double-digit lead. A CNN poll similarly showed Trump up by 23, while he led by 16 in a Quinnipiac survey.

Forty-eight percent of Florida voters said they approve of the job Rubio has done in the Senate, while 38 percent say they disapprove.

In Ohio, Kasich edges Trump in the Fox News poll, 34 percent to 29 percent. Rounding out the field are Cruz at 19 percent and Rubio at 7. 

Trump has led every other survey of Ohio released this year, always by single digits, and still holds a 5-point edge in the Buckeye State, according to the RealClearPolitics average.


But Kasich is expected to give Trump a run for his money. The governor is popular at home, with a 79 percent approval rating.

Kasich has said if he doesn’t win in his home state, he’ll drop out of the race. Rubio hasn’t gone that far, but has guaranteed victory at home.

Ohio and Florida are the first two winner-take-all contests of the cycle. Voters in both states will cast ballots on March 15.

If Trump wins all of the delegates in both states, it could knock both Kasich and Rubio out of the race, and would make the billionaire businessman the heavy favorite to at some point secure the 1,237 delegates needed to win the nomination.

If Rubio and Kasich can fend off challenges from Trump at home, some believe it will increase the likelihood of a contested convention if no candidate reaches the 1,237 threshold.



The Fox News survey of 813 likely Republican voters in Florida was conducted between March 5-8 and has a 3.5 point margin of error. The survey of 806 likely Republican primary voters in Ohio was conducted between March 5-8 and has a 3.5 point margin of error.

Updated 7:19 p.m.