Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul has bested former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum in the latest poll of likely Florida Primary voters. Mr. Paul garnered 13 percentage points in an Insider Advantage poll released Sunday. The Texas congressman bested Mr. Santorum by 2 percentage points in the Florida poll.
This is the first post-South Carolina Primary poll of likely Florida Primary voters. The results of the South Carolina Primary were discouraging for supporters of Mr. Paul’s campaign. The former Air Force surgeon pulled in 13 percent of the votes to finish in fourth place. Mr. Santorum stole a top-tier finish from Mr. Paul by earning 17 percent of the votes.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who won the South Carolina Primary, also won the Florida poll with 34 percent of the votes. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney finished in second place 26 percent of the votes.
Mr. Paul leads all Republican candidates in Florida with 30 percent of the votes among voters age 30-44. However, Mr. Gingrich leads Mr. Paul among voters age 18-29.
With a week to go before the Florida Primary, Mr. Paul has a shot at a top-tier finish in the Sunshine State. However, Mr. Paul is not expected to campaign in Florida in order to focus on the upcoming caucus states of Nevada and Minnesota.
“We will certainly be promoting this in the most frugal way,” Mr. Paul said in a speech to supporters Saturday night. “We will be going to the caucus states, and we will be promoting the whole idea of getting more delegates, because that’s the name of the game,” Mr. Paul added.
The Paul campaign announced major ad buys in Nevada and Minnesota over the weekend. “Running ads in the key early voting states of Nevada and Minnesota is part of our delegate strategy to secure the Republican nomination. Both states present opportunities for a strong top-three showing in their upcoming caucuses,” Ron Paul 2012 National Campaign Chairman Jesse Benton said in a campaign press release.
The Florida poll was conducted by Insider Advantage for Newsmax. Insider Advantage surveyed 557 registered Republican voters.