Trump Nears 50 Percent in Florida

48%

Donald Trump’s lead over the GOP presidential field among likely Republican voters in Florida, followed Ted Cruz at 16%, Marco Rubio at 11% and Jeb Bush at 10%, according to a new Florida Atlantic University poll. Said pollster Kevin Wagner: “At this point, Donald Trump is simply crushing the opposition in the Florida Republican primary. Not only has he increased his lead, Mr. Trump’s favorability ratings among Republicans are now ahead of his competitors by a substantial margin.”

Iowa not so Super for Super PACs

$26.6 million

Amount super PACs have spent on the Republican primary in Iowa — with minimal effect, the Des Moines Register reports. “The groups, which can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money on behalf of candidates, have spent $26.6 million to benefit candidates’ Iowa campaigns through Dec. 12. But many of them have little to show for their investment. … More than a third of that money has gone to support candidates who have dropped out of the race, and another third has gone to support former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, a Republican who is polling in single digits.”

Bush Super PAC Spending But Not Receiving Money

$50 million

“The super PAC supporting Jeb Bush is racing through its massive war chest much faster than money is coming in, spending close to $50 million in a record blitz that has so far failed to lift the former Florida governor’s sputtering presidential candidacy,” the Washington Post reports. “The group, Right to Rise, has already gone through nearly half of the $103 million it brought in during the first half of the year, records show. It raised only about $13 million in the five months that followed, according to a person familiar with the figure.”