New poll: ‘Trump Effect’ drags down Rubio ahead of election

NAPLES, Fla. – Sen. Marco Rubio said he will continue to support Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, despite a Quinnipiac University poll suggesting that the candidate is hurting the junior senator’s chances at reelection.

The poll focused on three states because history shows winning two states out of Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania has been correlated to the successful election of presidents since 1960. According to poll results, the race between Rubio and U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy is “too close to call.”

The “Trump Effect” is hurting Rubio’s success in the state, a poll director said. Peter A. Brown of the Quinnipiac University Poll said Rubio could find it hard to escape the downward pull of Trump’s campaign.

“Sen. Rob Portman in Ohio may have a strong enough lead to escape the Trump effect,” Brown said. “But Sen. Marco Rubio, who had been considered a big favorite, might be another story in Florida where he is virtually tied with one of his Democratic challengers.”

Sen. Rubio admitted Thursday during a private luncheon on Fifth Avenue South that reelection for his Senate seat will not be a simple feat. He leads his competition by three poll points, which experts say is not enough to determine the outcome of the race.

“No one is gonna win a Senate race in Florida by ten points in a presidential year,” Rubio said. “Presidential elections in Florida, those cycles are close and the Senate races are, as well. That’s why they call it a swing state.”

Despite the “virtual tie” between Rubio and Murphy, Brown said the Florida senator is performing better than Trump.

“In each of the three key swing states, the incumbent U.S. senators seeking re-election are running better than Trump,” Brown said. “But if Trump continues to lag behind in the presidential race, that will make it more difficult for GOP candidates, logic holds, up and down the ballot.”

Rubio has openly disagreed with Trump even after offering the candidate his endorsement, which came after Trump’s tense run for the GOP nomination. Trump taunted Rubio, calling him “Little Marco” in a nationally televised debate.

The junior senator said Trump’s recent comments naming Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and Pres. Barack Obama “founders” of ISIS was grossly misleading. Still, Rubio said he does not agree with Pres. Obama’s response to the terrorist organization.

“He took too long to take them seriously but the reality is ISIS was founded by radical jihadists, not by a president,” Rubio said.

Despite some Republicans denouncing Trump and others endorsing Clinton, Rubio said he will continue to back the Republican candidate. He said it’s a matter of finding the most common ground.

“While I may disagree with Donald on many things, I disagree with Hillary on everything,” Rubio said.