A new poll shows that three Senate Republicans in tough re-election fights now have significant leads over their opponents, less than four months out from Election Day.
According to the new Quinnipac poll, Florida’s Marco Rubio, Ohio’s Rob Portman, and Pennsylvania’s Pat Toomey all hold commanding leads over their Democratic challengers, and that they each hold a lead of at least 7 points.
Rubio holds the largest lead of the three, topping Rep. Patrick Murphy, his likely Democratic challenger, 50-37 percent. Rubio announced his entry into the race less than a month ago, but he also beats Rep. Alan Grayson, who is challenging Murphy for the Democratic nod, 50-38.
Portman seems to have broken loose in the Ohio Senate contest, as he leads former Gov. Ted Strickland 47-40. The two had been deadlocked since the start of the year.
And in Pennsylvania, Toomey has a double-digit lead over Katie McGinty, a former gubernatorial candidate and chief of staff to Gov. Tom Wolf. The Pennsylvania Republican leads McGinty 49-39.
The three races are crucial to the Republicans’ chances of keeping the majority in the U.S. Senate. The GOP currently holds 54 seats in the upper chamber, but is defending 24 of the 34 seats up for grabs this November.
Rubio, Portman and Toomey are running ahead of presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump in their home states. According to the RealClearPolitics average, Trump leads Clinton by less than 1 point in Florida, Clinton is ahead of Trump by 1 point in Ohio, and Clinton is ahead by 3 in Pennsylvania.
