As he continued to campaign and fundraise in the Sunshine State Thursday, former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts -- front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination -- announced the support of three Florida congressmen and one of the leading figures in the state Senate.
Romney won the backing of Ander Crenshaw, Connie Mack and Tom Rooney. He also won the formal endorsement of state Sen. John Thrasher of Jacksonville. All had backed Romneys previous bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008, and Romney in turn had helped all of them with their fundraising in the 2010 election cycle.
I am proud to have the support of these Florida leaders, said Romney. They share my goals of creating jobs, getting our exploding deficits under control, and reversing President Obamas failed policies.
President Obamas policies have failed Florida and the American people, said Mack. Mitt Romney has the experience to lead a much-needed economic recovery. He has created jobs, balanced budgets, and cut taxes.
Crenshaw and Thrasher, a former chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, represent the First Coast -- an area Romney carried in 2008.
Besides announcing the endorsements ofthe Florida officials -- and Attorney General Sam Olens of Georgia -- the Romney camp could cheer the results of a new poll.
On Thursday, a poll from Hart/McInturff taken for the Wall Street Journal and NBC found that Romney held a solid lead over the rest of the Republican field.
Romney topped the poll with 30 percent. Former Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, who has yet to announce whether she will seek the presidency in 2012, placed second with 14 percent. Businessman Herman Cain, a tea party favorite, took third with 12 percent.
The rest of the pack trailed in single digits. Gov. Rick Perry of Texas, who has left the door open to running, placed fourth with 8 percent. U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, like Perry a favorite son of the Lone Star State, placed fifth with 7 percent. Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia took sixth with 6 percent, while former Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota and former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania were tied for seventh with 4 percent. U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann stood in ninth with 3 percent and former Gov. Jon Huntsman of Utah, who is expected to formally launch his bid next week, lagged behind with 1 percent.
The poll also found that 27 percent of all voters surveyed saw Romney favorably while 26 percent saw him unfavorably. Palin, his nearest rival for the Republican nomination, was seriously upside down in the poll, with 24 percent viewing her favorably and 54 percent seeing her as unfavorable. Romney also came closest to catching President Barack Obama in the poll but trailed the Democratic incumbent -- 49 percent for Obama and 43 percent for Romney.
The poll of 1,000 voters across the nation was taken between June 9-13 and had a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percent.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (850) 727-0859 end_of_the_skype_highlighting.
