Navigation

Mitt Romney Beating Obama in New Florida Poll; Rubio VP Pick Would Boost Romney

Took a little while to get to because Quinnipiac University's website is being duct-taped together today, but here are the results of its latest poll, taken May 15 to 21 with a 2.4-percentage-point margin of error.Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney leads President Barack Obama 47 to 41 percent in the...
Share this:

Took a little while to get to because Quinnipiac University's website is being duct-taped together today, but here are the results of its latest poll, taken May 15 to 21 with a 2.4-percentage-point margin of error.


Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney leads President Barack Obama 47 to 41 percent in the poll, an improvement for him over a statistical tie at 44 to 43 percent at the beginning of the month. Potentially more troubling for the Obama campaign: Independent of questions about Romney, 52 percent of voters said Obama didn't "deserve a second term in the Oval Office."

Here are some of the other interesting numbers:


1. Romney's "gender gap" is smaller but still exists.
Romney is winning among Florida men 50 to 37 percent. Among women, he's tied with Obama 45 to 44 percent.

2. Romney's support among Florida African-Americans: 3 percent.
There's really nothing else to say on this one.

3. Picking Sen. Marco Rubio would help Romney in Florida.
Contrary to a poll from Public Policy Polling taken last month, this poll shows adding Rubio to the ticket shifts Romney's 47-41 lead to 49-41. It might have something to do with --

4. The percentage of voters with a favorable opinion of Rubio has never been higher.
Back in April 2009, 10 percent of Floridians had a favorable opinion of Rubio, and 78 percent said they didn't know enough about the guy to take a stance. Now, 44 percent of Floridians report a favorable opinion of him, and 31 percent say they don't know enough.

Too bad Politico reports Republican sources telling them Rubio isn't being "seriously considered" for the veep spot.

5. Obama's endorsement of gay marriage didn't hurt him with Florida blacks.
Though Allen West predicted that the president's pronouncement would hurt him in the black community, 73 percent of African-Americans surveyed said they didn't care -- and 11 percent reported that it made them more likely to vote for him.

If you want to check out the rest of the results, they're up on the Quinnipiac University Polling site, though they've been having technical difficulties today so it might take a couple refreshes.

KEEP NEW TIMES FREE... Since we started New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of South Florida, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.