Republican front-runner Donald Trump leads Florida Sen. Marco Rubio by 16 points in his home state heading into next month's primary, a new poll shows.

The most recent Quinnipiac University poll finds Trump, winner of the party's last three primaries, leading Rubio 44 to 28 percent among likely GOP voters. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is mustering just one vote for every four for Trump, lagging even further behind at just 12 percent.

Trump Leading Across the Board

Data shows Trump leads in every age group by at least 9 points. In addition, he is doing particularly well among male voters, where he leads Rubio by a 49 to s25 percent margin.

Trump also comfortably leads among female voters, 39 to 31 percent.

"Florida is the single biggest prize of the primary season because it is the largest state to allocate its delegates on a winner-take-all basis," said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac poll. "If Sen. Rubio can't win in his own home state, it is difficult to see how he can win elsewhere."

Only 5 percent of Florida voters indicate they still remain undecided and roughly one in three say there is any chance they will favor new candidates prior to polls opening on March 15.

Additional polling finds strong leadership is viewed as the most important quality a new president can have by 32 percent of GOP voters. Trump was the top choice of 66 percent of those voters, compared to just 16 percent for Rubio.

The economy and jobs are also considered significant issues to GOP voters in Florida, with Trump besting Rubio among the 31 percent of voters who view that as the election's most important issue, 51 to 28 percent.

Trump also tops the Cuban-American Rubio among the 14 percent of voters who see immigration as the campaign's most important issue, 66 to 12 percent.

Meanwhile, Rubio leads Trump, 39 to 29 percent, among Republicans who most want someone who shares their values. The two are tied at 30 percent among those who most desire a commander-in-chief who is honest and trustworthy.

Rubio Gets Tough

The poll's results and Trump's aforementioned string of primary wins could explain why Rubio appeared so much more aggressive toward Trump in the last GOP presidential debate in the run up to Super Tuesday on March 1.

"If he hadn't inherited $200 million, you know where Donald Trump would be? Selling watches in Manhattan," Rubio said at one point during the recent CNN contest aired from Houston.

Both Rubio and Cruz spent much of the night relentlessly attacking Trump. Rubio interjected when the subject of immigration came up, "You're [Trump] the only person on this stage that's ever been fined for hiring people to work on your project illegally."

The jab was in reference to reports Trump once hired 200 undocumented Polish workers to work on the construction of Trump Tower.

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