President Barack Obama is upside down in Florida, a state he carried in 2008 and is targeting in 2012 as he runs for a second term, according to a poll from Quinnipiac University released on Wednesday morning.
A majority of Floridians -- 54 percent -- disapprove of Obamas performance in the White House. Forty-two percent of those surveyed approve of Obama.
The poll also found that a majority of Floridians -- 52 percent -- do not think that Obama deserves a second term in the White House. Forty-four percent of those surveyed think that Obama deserves four more years.
Fifty percent of Floridians say they have an unfavorable view of Obama while 45 percent say they view him favorably.
"Florida is among the most important swing states in the country and if the election was today, President Barack Obama would have difficulty winning its electoral votes," said Peter Brown, the assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, in a statement on Wednesday.
"But the election isn't for 10 more months so he has plenty of time to turn things around, Brown added.
When pitted against former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, the leading candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, Obama comes up short in the Sunshine State. Romney, who takes 9 percent of Democrats, leads with 46 percent while Obama, who takes 4 percent of Republicans, takes 43 percent. Forty-six percent of women back Obama compared to 40 percent for Romney. The Republican carries a majority of the men surveyed -- 52 percent -- while Obama trails with 40 percent of them.
Obama takes 51 percent of voters under 50 compared to 39 percent for Romney. Romney leads among voters ranging in age from 50 to 64, taking 49 percent, while Obama lags behind with 40 percent. A majority of seniors in Florida -- 53 percent -- back Romney while only 39 percent support Obama.
President Obama needs to mend fences in the Sunshine State, especially among men, whites and those voters without college degrees, Brown said. The difference among voters by age is especially striking.
"The problem for Obama is that those over 50 make up 62 percent of the electorate, compared to the 35 percent who are under 50," Brown added.
Obama does slightly better against former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, who placed right behind Romney in the Iowa caucus but trailed in the New Hampshire primary. Obama takes 45 percent of those surveyed while Santorum is right on his heels with 43 percent.
"In the match-up with Santorum, the president does slightly better across-the-board, which results in the overall dead heat," Brown said. At this point, Romney runs a bit better against Obama than does Santorum, but the former Pennsylvania senator isn't nearly as well-known as either Romney or the president.
Romney and Santorum are both seen as favorable by Florida voters. Forty-seven percent of Florida voters and 74 percent of Republicans surveyed see Romney in a favorable light. Twenty-nine percent of Florida voters and 14 percent of Republicans see Romney as unfavorable. Santorum is less known in Florida. Thirty-one percent of Floridians view Santorum favorably while 25 percent see him as unfavorable. Fifty-six percent of Republicans see Santorum favorably while 8 percent see him in an unfavorable light.
U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, who placed second in New Hampshire and third in Iowa, is upside down in Florida. Paul is seen as unfavorable by 41 percent of all voters while 26 percent of them see him favorably. The poll shows that Pauls decision not to focus heavily on the Florida primary on Jan. 31 could be a wise one since the congressman does even worse with Sunshine State Republicans. Forty-eight percent of the Republicans surveyed see Paul as unfavorable while 28 percent see him in a favorable light.
Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich is also upside down in Florida, with 47 percent of all voters seeing him as unfavorable while 31 percent see him as favorable. Gingrich does better with Republicans. Sixty-four percent see him as favorable while 24 percent see him as unfavorable.
The poll of 1,412 registered Florida voters was taken Jan. 4-8 and had a margin of error of +/- 2.6 percent.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
