New Poll: Obama Upside Down in Florida, Losing to Romney and Huckabee

A poll released on Monday by Mason-Dixon Polling and Ron Sachs Communications revealed that President Barack Obama was facing serious challenges in his efforts to win Florida in his 2012 re-election bid.

The poll found that Obama was trailing two of the leading potential Republican candidates. Former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts led Obama in the poll, taking 48 percent to Obamas 43 percent. Former Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, who moved to Florida last year, had a similar lead, beating Obama 49 percent to 44 percent.

President Obama's hopes for re-election will either be warmed or eclipsed by theSunshine State, said Ron Sachs, president and CEO of the firm that bears his name. Already, it's clear that he has considerable work to do to make his incumbency an asset, rather than a liability, in a Florida that has drifted more conservative than even four years ago.

The poll found that Obama was upside down in Florida, with 43 percent approving his performance while 51 percent disapproved it. Despite those figures, Obama led two other possible Republican hopefuls in the poll. The president led businessman Donald Trump 48 percent to 40 percent. Obama did the best in the poll against former Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, taking a majority of those surveyed -- 51 percent -- while she took 39 percent.

The poll of 800 registered voters was taken between April 4 and April 7 and had a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percent.

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