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.