Poll: Romney now leads Obama in Florida

By
Holly Bailey
May 23, 2012, 9:18 AM ET
3 min read

— -- Mitt Romney has now taken a 6-point lead over President Obama in the battleground state of Florida.

A new Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday found Romney now leading Obama 47 percent to 41 percent among likely Florida voters. That's a shift from earlier this month when a Quinnipiac poll found the Romney and Obama statistically tied in the state. In March, Obama led Romney 49 percent to 42 percent in Florida.

If Romney were to add Florida Sen. Marco Rubio to the ticket, the presumptive Republican nominee would expand his lead in in the state only slightly, according to Quinnipiac. Forty-nine percent of Florida voters say they'd pack a Romney/Rubio ticket versus 41 percent who say they'd vote for Obama and Vice President Joe Biden. (The poll's margin of error is plus or minus 2.4 percent.)

Romney's improved standing in the state is in part because of voter angst over Obama's job performance. Just 45 percent of Florida voters view the president favorably, compared to 50 percent who view him negatively. Fifty-two percent of Florida voters disapprove of the job Obama's doing in the White House. An equal number say the president doesn't deserve a second term in office.

Romney's favorable rating is one point lower than Obama's at 44 percent, but just 35 percent view him negatively. Meanwhile, half of Florida voters say Romney would do a better job on handling the economy, compared to 40 percent who prefer Obama.

But Obama still has one major advantage: Voters continue to say he's more "likable" than Romney. Seventy-six percent say Obama is "likable" compared to 58 percent for Romney.

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