Trump widens his lead over Rubio in Florida

Donald Trump has extended his lead over Republican presidential rival Marco Rubio in the senator’s home state of Florida ahead of Tuesday’s primary, according to a new poll. 

Trump has the support of 44 percent of likely Florida primary voters in the Monmouth University poll released Monday, while Rubio is at 27 percent support.

{mosads}Trump has increased his lead over Rubio from 8 points a week ago to 17 points in the latest poll. During that span, Trump has gained 6 points, while Rubio has lost 3 points.

It’s the latest in a series of polls showing Trump ahead in the state before voting Tuesday. Another Quinnipiac poll released Monday found Trump with a 24-point lead.

The latest Monmouth survey finds Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas) in third place with 17 percent, with Ohio Gov. John Kasich a distant fourth at 8 percent, essentially unchanged from previous polls.

Florida has 99 delegates up for grabs in its winner-take-all primary, making it one of the biggest contests in the Republican race.

The survey of 405 likely GOP primary voters was conducted March 11-13 with a margin of error of 4.9 points.