A new Rasmussen poll of Florida’s Senate race shows Republican Marco Rubio ahead in a three-way contest if Kendrick Meek wins the Aug. 24 Democratic primary. Rubio gets 38 percent, independent Charlie Crist gets 33 percent and Meek gets 21 percent in the poll.

If Jeff Greene wins the Democratic primary, the poll shows Crist barely edges Rubio by picking up some Democratic support. That scenario shows Crist with a 37-to-36 percent lead over Rubio and Greene at 20 percent.

The poll of 750 likely voters has a 4 percent margin of error.

Either way, the Democrat finishes a distant third in the new poll. Both Crist and Rubio probably enjoyed Tuesday’s Orlando Democratic debate, in which both Meek and Greene highlighted each other’s negatives.

Emerging national conservative celebrity Marco Rubio has opened up an 18-point lead over Gov. Charlie Crist in their Republican U.S. Senate primary race, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports poll.

Former Florida House speaker Rubio has a 54-to-36 percent lead over Crist in a poll of 442 likely Republican voters taken last Thursday — the day Rubio made a much-publicized speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington.

In the poll, which has a 5 percent margin of error, Rubio is viewed favorably by 67 percent of Republican voters and Crist is viewed favorably by 54 percent. Crist’s approval rating as governor is 48 percent, with 49 percent disapproving. In January, Crist had a 62 percent favorability rating among Republicans and his approval-disapproval score as governor was 56-43.

Rubio had a 12-point lead in a late-January Rasmussen poll. Rubio and Crist were tied in December.