Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is way out in front over U.S. Senator Marco Rubio and other possible Republican candidates for the 2016 presidential nomination in his home state, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.

But despite President Barack Obama’s underwater job approval rating, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton leads a list of Republicans by margins of 8 percentage points or higher, the Quinnipiac poll finds.

Gov. Bush leads the Florida Republican primary with 27 percent, followed by U.S. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky with 14 percent, Sen. Rubio at 11 percent, New Jersey Governor Christopher Christie at 7 percent, with 6 percent each for Texas U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and Wisconsin U.S. Representative Paul Ryan.

No other candidate tops 4 percent and 16 percent of potential voters are undecided.

Secretary Clinton sweeps the Democratic primary with 64 percent, followed by Vice President Joseph Biden with 11 percent and Massachusetts U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren with 6 percent.  No other candidate tops 1 percent and 13 percent are undecided. 

 “With former Gov. Jeb Bush making noises about a possible 2016 candidacy, his support among Republicans in the Sunshine State appears to be solidifying. He still trails Hillary Clinton in a general election matchup, but he is the only potential GOP nominee who gets within single digits of her,” said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll.

“For a potential Hillary Clinton candidacy in Florida, November 2016 can’t get here soon enough. Not only does she out point the entire field of potential Democratic wannabes for the party nomination put together, but her favorability numbers among all voters is near 60 percent. The Republicans angling to oppose Secretary Clinton, should she run, are less known and less liked,” Brown added.

Quinnipiac University Poll/May 1, 2014

“The Republicans angling to oppose Secretary Clinton, should she run, are less known and less liked,” Brown added.

Clinton tops several possible Republican candidates in Florida:

· 49 – 41 percent over Bush

· 52 – 40 percent over Rubio

· 55 – 37 percent over Paul

· 52 – 34 percent over Christie

· 56 – 36 percent over Ryan

· 57 – 31 percent over Cruz

· 53 – 35 percent over Huckabee

By a 58 percent to 37 percent margin, Florida voters have a favorable opinion of Clinton. Bush gets a margin of 53 percent to 35 percent favorability, while Rubio's margin is 43 percent to 36 percent favorable. Split scores of 34 – 31 percent for Paul, 37 – 35 percent for Christie and 33 – 36 percent for Ryan, a narrow 36 – 32 percent favorability for Huckabee and a negative 19 – 30 percent favorability for Cruz.

President Obama Approval

Florida voters give President Obama a negative 46 – 50 percent job approval rating, inching up from negative grades of 42 – 53 percent in a January 31 Quinnipiac University poll and 40 – 57 percent in a November 22 survey.

Women are divided with 49 percent approving and 47 percent disapproving. Men give the president a negative 42 – 54 percent grade. Obama gets negative grades of 8 – 91 percent from Republicans and 43 – 52 percent from independent voters while Democrats approve 81 – 16 percent.

“President Barack Obama remains under water in Florida, a state he twice carried. At this point, though, his unpopularity does not appear to be hurting Hillary Clinton,” Brown said.

Florida voters approve 47 – 39 percent of the job Sen. Rubio is doing and give U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson a 46 – 32 percent job approval rating.

From April 23 – 28, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,413 registered voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.6 percentage points. The survey includes 494 Republicans and 501 Democrats, each with a margin of error of +/- 4.4 percentage points.