Romney takes lead in new Florida poll

AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall

A new poll from Quinnipiac University shows Mitt Romney up six points in the crucial battleground state of Florida.

According to the survey, which was conducted last week, Romney holds a 47-41 percent lead over President Obama in the Sunshine State. The poll has a margin of error of +/- 2.4 percentage points.

Just weeks ago in a poll released on May 3, the polling group found Romney edging out Mr. Obama by just a 44-43 percent margin. In a March 28 Quinnipiac poll, Mr. Obama led Romney 49-42 percent.

Additionally, the poll found that picking Sen. Marco Rubio to be his vice president would give Romney an additional two percentage points, widening the gap against an Obama - Biden ticket to 49-41 percent. Amongst independents the split is even more dramatic, with 46-37 percent support for the Republican ticket.

Men overwhelmingly supported Romney in the poll 50-37 percent, but women were divided, 44-45 percent.

The Romney campaign, which seeks to stay on an economic message at all times, says that essentially, Mr. Obama has hit a ceiling in terms of his favorability numbers in the state, and will only continue to because of Florida's frail economy. Underscoring Mr. Obama's challenges in the battleground state he won in 2008, Florida's unemployment rate in April was 8.7 percent - a drop from 9 percent in March, but still above the national average of 8.1 percent. In the poll, Romney is viewed as better able to handle the economy, 50-40 percent.

"With the economy not likely to improve significantly between now and Election Day, and the death of Osama Bin Laden already baked in the cake, Republicans find it hard to foresee game-changers that could significantly improve President Obama's numbers during the next six months," one Romney staffer in Florida told CBS News.

However, Democrats challenged the methodology of the poll and the demographics of the sample.

"This poll is flawed," said Florida Democratic Party spokeswoman Brannon Jordan. "A deeper look at the numbers reveal the poll does not accurately reflect Florida's electorate."

Ben Labolt, press secretary for Obama's re-election campaign, Tweeted that the poll "doesn't show a change in the horse race, shows a change in the sample." LaBolt went on to write that more Republicans were surveyed than Democrats and Independents.

Peter Brown, Assistant Director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, defended the merits of the poll. Brown said that none of the school's polls weight their participants by party affiliation. He also noted that there are more Democrats registered to vote in Florida, but Republicans hold the governorship and the legislature, showing how people's party affiliations change and alter how they vote.

Brown added that there are other factors that they do take into account in order to ensure an accurate sampling. "We weight for sex. We weight for age. We weight for race. Why do we do that? Because those things don't change," he said.

[ouachita3]

Obama should man-up and run on his record over the past 3 1/2 years; tell us what you promised to do, tell us what you did. If that doesn't work for him, he doesn't deserve reelection.

This is the criteria by which real CEO are assessed by shareholders.

[infantryman1968]

by retm-w May 23, 2012 9:25 PM EDT

Hope your in the 1% then, because romney doesn't care about anybody else.

LOL!

1%? Do you mean the Occupy Protesters that work for you and Obama?

[infantryman1968]

by rightbehind May 24, 2012 3:13 AM EDT

LOL! Only the ignorant would reward a vulture capitalist the white house. Get ready to have your national parks sold at no bid goes at any price sales. Our national interstate highway system will be turned into toll roads. So be it. We're definitely winning the race to the bottom.


LOL

You better talk to Obama about that one, he hired 3 of them to work for the Jobs Czar (GE CEO by the way) in 2009.

[calif7]

This article needs to be updated as a new NBC/Marist poll released this morning has Obama up by 4 in Florida.

[infantryman1968]

LOL!

Do you mean the NBC/Marxist poll? You and Obama should be in double didgets by now.........

[realist2010]

Voters need a little time to sift through Republican lies (things are worse, Obama is a Muslim, etc)to realize what a snow job that party really is. Hate and propaganda are the conservative platform for this election.

[marktherepublican]

If you really think Obama has done a good job over the last three years, then you must hate America. Romney 2012!

[nonameindependent]

The catholics in congress, in their wisdom, made it so that any illegal alien that comes across and spits out a "citizen" gets free medical care. This is no joke. And the catholics in congress in their wisdom, also are keeping the borders open. And the catholics in congress are both R and D and have formed a bloc to prevent the US from functioning. Check it out. all true. VOTE EVERY CATHOLIC OUT OF OFFICE. Romney is in bed with the Catholics.

[rightbehind]

LOL! Only the ignorant would reward a vulture capitalist the white house. Get ready to have your national parks sold at no bid goes at any price sales. Our national interstate highway system will be turned into toll roads. So be it. We're definitely winning the race to the bottom.

[RealWorldNow]

That's right where your dragging us.... burnt toast

[nonameindependent]

The catholics in congress, in their wisdom, made it so that any illegal alien that comes across and spits out a "citizen" gets free medical care. This is no joke. And the catholics in congress in their wisdom, also are keeping the borders open. And the catholics in congress are both R and D and have formed a bloc to prevent the US from functioning. Check it out. all true. VOTE EVERY CATHOLIC OUT OF OFFICE

[smirk5]

25% of businesses run by Bain under Romney failed. Romney took his business experience to Massachusetts and ended up 47th in job creation.
If Romney's business experience makes him capable of running the nation's economy, why was he 47th as Governor of Massachusetts?

[askagain]

The polls do count. Though they may not be a perfect indicator of who will win the election, they do show whether a candidate is a serious contender. If polls weren't important, candidates would simply ignore them.

[retiredgustav]

It is 5 months before the election. Mittens will shoot himself in the foot several times before then.

[RealWorldNow]

So that's why Biden has no feet !!