Marco Rubio dominates Florida Panhandle REC straw poll

(AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

If the Republican presidential nomination were decided by Republican Executive Committee straw polls in the Florida Panhandle, Marco Rubio would have it on lock.

Rubio’s 77 percent tally was 60 points over that of Donald Trump, and 71 points over that of Ted Cruz.

No delegates were delivered in that particular straw poll, which came on the heels of Rubio dismissing the importance of the area on Tuesday night.

As the Pensacola Daily News reported:

In comments made to Fox News reporter Bret Baier as the results of primary voting in 11 GOP races were being finalized on another disappointing night for Florida’s junior senator, Rubio appeared to attempt to diminish “North Florida” as a voting force.

Baier noted that “Florida shares media markets with 19 counties in Alabama and Georgia and in those counties Trump beat you 50 percent to 16 percent.”

“I wouldn’t analyze it that way,” Rubio countered.

“Obviously these are important counties and great people that live in those counties, but you’re talking about North Florida, not heavily populated areas,” he said.

“They’re important, very conservative areas, and we’re going to do well there as well, but again, that is not an accurate analysis of Florida, where the bulk of the vote comes from the I-4 corridor, Southwest Florida and, of course, my home area of Miami and even up into Jacksonville,” Rubio told Baier.