Poll: Obama Tied With Romney & Santorum
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – President Barack Obama carried the state of Florida to help him win the presidency in 2008. Based on a new Quinnipiac University poll, Obama has quite a fight ahead of him if he wants to take Florida again.
The Q Poll found that Obama is trailing presumed GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney 46-43 percent and is leading Rick Santorum 45-43 percent.
Given the poll's margin of error of +/- 2.6 percent, both hypothetical race are a statistical tie.
"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 A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.
Obama's biggest problems with voters came from men, white voters, and those without a college degree, according to the poll.
The numbers from the Q Poll matchup with previous poll results from the Sunshine State.
Obama has trailed Romney in the state by 3-4 points since November of 2011.
By a 54-42 percent margin, Florida voters disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as president.
Independents swing the disapproval numbers by a 52-45 percent margin. Hispanic voters in the state, which will be courted heavily, are split evenly between the two candidates.
Deeper inside the numbers from the poll, overall 52 percent of Florida voters don't think Obama deserves to get reelected. But, independents are split evenly as are Hispanic voters.
Voters under 49 believe Obama gets a second term, but older voters want anyone else.
