The newest Quinnipiac poll of Florida's U.S. Senate race shows Governor Charlie Crist trailing far behind former Speaker Marco Rubio in the Republican primary -- but if Crist were to run as an independent, he'd lead a 3-way field including the Democratic candidate, Rep. Kendrick Meek.
The poll also shows Meek closing in on Rubio in a 2-way contest, with Meek now within 4 points of the likely Republican nominee.
In the GOP primary, Crist has fallen behind by 23 points. Rubio clocks in with 56% support compared to Crist's 33%, a big swing from Quinnipiac's last poll which showed Rubio with a 47-44 lead.
If Crist doesn't run as an independent and Rubio wins the primary, Rubio and Meek are poised for a close race. Rubio currently has 42% support and Meek has 38%, representing a tightening of the race since January when Rubio had a 9 point lead over Meek, 44-35.
If Crist were to bail on the GOP primary and run as an independent, he'd take 32% of the vote compared to 30% for Rubio and 24% for Meek.