WASHINGTON _ Republican Sen. Marco Rubio continues his slight lead over Democratic challenger Rep. Patrick Murphy. A New York Times/Siena College Research Institute poll released Monday shows the Florida Republican up 6 points.
The poll lines up with several other recent polls taken of likely Florida voters. A RealClearPolitics poll taken from Aug. 31 to Sept. 12 showed Rubio ahead by 6.5 points.
In what used to be a race too close to call, Rubio has maintained a steady lead in recent weeks. The Rothenburg & Gonzales Political Report/Roll Call changed the rating of the Florida Senate race from Tossup to Tilts Republican in early August.
In the presidential race, Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton are nearly tied in a tough battle for electoral votes in the Sunshine State. The Poll shows Trump has 40 percent of the support of likely voters, while Clinton has 41 percent _ a lead that's within the poll's margin of error.
Both candidates are strongly disliked by the likely voters in Florida, poll director Don Levy said.
"Clinton is viewed favorably by 40 percent and unfavorably by 53 percent while Trump's numbers are 39 positive and 55 percent negative," Levy said.
The Siena College Poll was conducted Sept. 10-14 by telephone calls to land and cell phones of 867 likely voters. There is a margin of error of 3.3 percentage points.
