Poll: Trump trounces Rubio in his home state of Florida

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Feb. 25 (UPI) -- A new poll bears bad news for Sen. Marco Rubio back home, where Donald Trump leads him by nearly 20 points.

The Quinnipiac University poll, released Thursday, shows Trump leading the field with 44 percent of likely Republican primary voters. That's compared to Florida native Rubio, who comes in a distant second place with 28 percent.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, lags more than ten points behind with 12 percent. Ohio Gov. John Kasich polls at 7 percent, while Dr. Ben Carson rounds out the pack with 4 percent.

The poll surveyed 705 likely Republican primary voters in Florida between Feb. 21-24 with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.

Florida holds its primaries on March 15, giving Rubio two weeks to turn the tables in his home court.

Floridians are familiar with Trump, who owns a second home in Palm Beach, Fla., as well as the Mar-a-lago Club. Last year, Trump sued Palm Beach County for $100 million, claiming that Palm Beach International Airport was deliberately flying planes over his estate.