Q Poll: Floridians Unhappy With Barack Obama's Performance

A new poll from Quinnipiac University released on Thursday revealed that President Barack Obama, who carried Florida in 2008, will face a tough time carrying the Sunshine State in 2012 as Floridians continue to sour on his performance in office.

The poll found that a majority of those surveyed -- 52 percent -- disapproved of Obamas performance in office while 44 percent approved it. This compares to a Quinnipiac poll released on Feb. 3 in which the presidents approval stood at 47 percent and the disapproval was at 49 percent. In the new poll, more Republicans -- 84 percent -- disapprove of Obamas presidency than Democrats in the state -- 79 percent -- who approve it. The poll found that a majority of independent voters -- 55 percent -- disapproved of Obamas performance while only 39 percent approved of it.

While Obamas disapproval numbers are on the rise, the poll found that he will still be competitive in the 2012 general election in Florida. While a majority of those surveyed -- 51 percent -- thought the president does not deserve a second term as opposed to 42 percent who thought Obama did, a generic Republican challenger was ahead of the president by only 3 points in the poll, 41 percent to 38 percent. This compares to the February poll where the unnamed Republican candidate took 42 percent with Obama behind him at 40 percent.

With President Barack Obama formally announcing his re-election campaign this week, one can expect that his team will be focusing on Florida, one of the nations pre-eminent swing states and one that the president carried in 2008, said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. He has some work to do in the Sunshine State.On job approval, re-election and the matchup against an unnamed Republican, he does a good deal better among women than he does among men.