Rasmussen Reports: Florida -- Romney 25% McCain 20% Giuliani 19%

[brooklynite]

Source: Rasmussen Report

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey finds Mitt Romney with a slight lead in Florida’s Republican Presidential Primary. John McCain and Rudy Giuliani are close behind in what may develop into a three-man race. It’s Romney at 25%, McCain at 20%, and Giuliani at 19%. Romney has picked up seven points over the past week while McCain and Giuliani each inched up a point.

Last week, before the Michigan and South Carolina Primaries, Rasmussen Reports polling found essentially a four-way tie for the lead in Florida. However, Mike Huckabee has slipped to 13% in the current poll. A week ago, he was the top choice for 17%.

One major wild card in the race may be Fred Thompson. The former Senator from Tennessee is considering dropping out of the race after a disappointing showing in South Carolina last Saturday. Twelve percent (12%) of Florida’s Likely Republican Primary Voters still support the actor turned politician.

Read more: http://www.myfoxkc.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=5543642&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.11.1

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Its a good thing that Rudy decided to focus on Florida; its always been a good place for retirements...

[Fresh_Start]

1. Don't retire Rudy....make the others spend, spend, spend

to get the nomination

[saigon68]

2. Looks like "Huck a Buck" is fading

[AlinPA]

3. It is the time for him to start waving the flag and cross with a bible under his arm. nt

[saigon68]

5. Yes, these "Clowns" never fail to entertain

[bulloney]

4. Hey Rudy, your stragety is working like a charm.

You're a distant third. "none of the above" is catching up with you fast. Maybe you can create a 9-11 image that Floridians can relate to...make up a video where a plane is slamming into a palm tree in Tampa.

[ramapo]

8. Still disturbing

that he gets even that many votes.

[MasonJar]

6. I am getting very nervous about Romney. He was Jeb's choice.

Talk about a corporate shill and the conversation must inevitably tend to Mitt. McCain and Guliani are warmongers and Huck doesn't even believe in evolution. Wow! What a cast of "up to no good" candidates!!!!!!!!!!! Then we have the dems, all of whom are rock-solid.YEAAAAAAAAAAAA for the good guys.

[More Than A Feeling]

7. Go Romney!

I would LOVE to face Romney!

[krabigirl]

9. 2nd! He'd be the easiest to beat.

[tedoll78]

12. Any chance of Romney getting a bounce out of this?

I can kinda imagine the media going on and on about how such a victory proves that "he can win in the South."

I'd much rather face him than McCain..

[olddad56]

10. Rudi can win in Florida, it is that crooked.

[avrdream]

13. Yeah, that's the bloody scary thing about Florida.

Anyone can win if enough of the right people are behind him/her. I realize I am generalizing but that is the perception.

[Hulk]

11. Go 9ui11iani!! Don't quit. Keep it "entertaining", and boost our economy some more.

Bombs and ads for the candidates. Damn, once the election is over and we get the f*ck out of Iraq, what will we be moving money around for then? Drink lots of Coke, eh?

[yellowcanine]

14. Too bad. I was hoping for a good showing by the ghoulmeister just to muddy the waters a little

more. But a win by Romney would be almost as good. Go Mittens!

[StevieM]

15. Rudy is also trailing McCain in NY (and Romney is closing on him there)

He's trailing in New Jersey and Connecticut too. I think he'll probably drop out after a third place showing in Florida, rather then get humiliated in his home state.

And I can't see Guiliani finishing higher then third in Florida. It's shaping up to be a Romney/McCain contest--they're the two finalist.

If McCain wins Florida then it's over--he'll get the nomination. Romney needs a win there as much as Guiliani does. If Romney wins Florida then Super Tuesday is a toss-up.

The big question is whether Huckabee will drop out of the race after a fourth place showing in Florida. If not, then he runs the risk of humiliating losses in the South. But he might stay in if he concludes that he hurts Romney more than McCain, and denies Romney a one-on-one match up against McCain. I suspect that Huckabee, like all the other Republicans, despises Romney and would like to see him lose.

Steve

[customerserviceguy]

16. Ghouliani's strategy

was sound as long as he could get 5-10 percent in the primaries and caucuses that he didn't run in, based on pure name recognition. His numbers have been anemic in Iowa, New Hampshire, Michigan, and South Carolina. Even the Paulistas have done better for their man than the Rudy rooters have done, with him getting 2-4% just about everywhere.

A strategy that says you can win it all while losing the first five or six contests big time is probably a pretty faulty one.

[StevieM]

17. This "strategy" was born of necessity

Guiliani was running second in Iowa and then Huckabee passed him there....so he backed out to focus on New Hampshire. He was running second in New Hampshire until McCain tied him there--so he competed with McCain for second. Then McCain passed him and started approaching Romney--so he backed out there. Then he started fading in the polls in Michigan, Nevada and South Carolina....so he came up with this plan to claim he had a "late-state strategy." It was his only hope and luckily for him the media bought into it and sold it to the American people. Accept the American people didn't buy.

He did a little better in Florida because the people there were somewhat flattered by all the praise he was heaping in them and their importance. But in the end it wasn't enough. He'll finish third and then either drop out of the race or stay in and lose NY.

Steve