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Poll Shows Obama Trailing GOP Candidates

MIAMI (CBS4) - Florida has been the king-maker for Presidential elections since 2000. President Barack Obama carried Florida by 3 points in 2008, but he may have trouble ahead in 2012.

On the heels of last week's poll that showed Florida voters disapproving of President Barack Obama's job performance comes a new poll that shows President Obama trailing two potential Republican presidential candidates.

In a new Mason-Dixon poll, Obama trails Republican Mike Huckabee by five points 49-44, and trails Mitt Romney, 48-43.

The support for Romney comes despite the fact that Floridians want health care reform repealed, and he signed a similar health care law while governor of Massachusetts.

The news wasn't all bad for President Obama. He would easily beat Sarah Palin (51-39) and would thump Donald Trump (48-40).

Trump has been beating the birther drum lately, despite the fact that the entire birther argument has been resoundingly disproven.

Obama has said that he plans to campaign heavily in Florida in 2012. And with Florida picking up two votes in the Electoral College, the Sunshine State will once again be ground zero for the presidential campaign.

The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points and was completed the day before Obama and Congress announced their compromise on the federal budget.

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