Hillary Clinton is the most popular pick for president among Florida voters -- more popular than Jeb Bush or Marco Rubio -- and Floridians overwhelmingly support mandatory background checks on gun buyers.

Those are the major findings of a new Quinnipiac University poll of Florida voters on national issues (1,000 people were sampled between March 13-18, with a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points). Voters were contacted on land line phones and cell phones.

Mrs. Clinton holds double digits leads over Bush (51 percent to 40 percent) and Rubio (52-41 percent) in mock matchups. But the former defense secretary and first lady is viewed more favorably by Florida voters than either man.

"If she decides to make the race, she begins with a sizeable lead in a state that Republicans cannot win the White House without," observed Quinnipiac's Peter Brown. "Florida voters have a very positive view of Mrs. Clinton and it's not just Democrats who feel that way."