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"Marco Rubio being that far ahead of Jeb Bush is surprising,” Kevin Wagner, an associate professor of political science at Florida Atlantic University, told The Sun Sentinel . “Some of the early Florida polling suggested that Bush was in a stronger position.”

Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson checks in fourth in FAU's sampling, with 10.3 percent support, and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina follows at 8.3 percent.

The poll, taken after last week’s Republican presidential debate in Simi Valley, Calif., surveyed 352 likely Republican primary voters in Florida from Sept. 17-20 with a 5.2 percent margin of error.

Bush is trying to hold off Rubio for third place in national polls, behind Trump and Carson.

The former governor takes 7.8 percent support in a RealClearPolitics average of national surveys, ahead of Rubio's 7.3 percent.

Trump leads the RealClearPolitics average with 28.5 percent, and Carson sits in second with 18.8 percent.