Despite carrying Florida twice, President Barack Obama is underwater in the Sunshine State with most voters wanting the next president to break from his policies, a new poll finds.
Quinnipiac University released a poll on Wednesday which shows a majority of those surveyed -- 55 percent -- disapprove of Obama while only 41 percent approve of him.
With the 2016 presidential race already starting, the poll shows around a third of those surveyed -- 32 percent -- want the next president to continue Obamas policies while 61 percent think its time to change direction.
"President Barack Obama gets lousy grades for his job performance, although they are not quite as low as they have been at times in his second term, said Peter Brown, the assistant director of the Quinnipiac poll. More damning is that about five in eight voters say they want the new president to take the country in a different direction."
The poll also examined what Florida voters think about the continued problems with Iran and its nuclear program.
Two-thirds of those surveyed -- 66 percent -- think a nuclear Iran is a major threat while 23 percent classify it as a minor one. Only 7 percent think a nuclear Iran would not be a threat.
Floridians overwhelmingly prefer a negotiated settlement with Iran as 71 percent believe that is a better way to go than military intervention. Only 18 percent of those surveyed think military intervention is the better option.
Most Floridians -- 63 percent -- say they would support the U.S. lifting economic sanctions on Iran if it scaled back its nuclear program while 26 percent oppose the idea. Despite that, most Floridians -- 62 percent -- dont think Iran will negotiate in good faith while only 27 percent think that nation is capable of doing so.
Two-thirds of those surveyed -- 65 percent -- want Congress to offer approval on any settlement with Iran while less than a quarter -- 23 percent -- oppose the notion. Despite that, 55 percent of Florida voters thought Republican senators crossed the line when they sent a letter to Iranian leaders saying Congress could revoke any deal with that nation, while 38 percent think it was appropriate. Half of those surveyed -- 50 percent -- think the letter made no difference while 33 percent think it hurt Obamas efforts with Iran and 8 percent believe it helped them.
The poll of 1,087 Florida voters was taken from March 17-28 and had a margin of error of +/- 3 percent.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
