The latest Public Polling Policy (PPP) poll of likely Florida Republican primary voters shows that Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s tax returns helped him surge in Florida, as opposed to rival Newt Gingrich’s “moon colony” idea which bombed in polling.
The PPP poll released late Monday night is the last of their three day tracking poll, which tracked voters in Florida for the last three days leading up to Tuesday’s election. Mr. Romney finished the poll garnering 39 percent of the votes, trailed by Mr. Gingrich who finished with 31 percent of the votes.
Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum finished in a distant third place with 15 percent of the votes, trailed by Texas congressman Ron Paul who finished in fourth place. Mr. Paul is not campaigning in the Sunshine state, choosing instead to focus on the upcoming Nevada caucuses on Saturday.
Mr. Santorum is currently in Pennsylvania with is daughter Bella, who was hospitalized this weekend with pneumonia.
“At the end of the day in Florida we’re right back where we started,” said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling. “Romney was always seen as a solid favorite in the state and for all the twists and turns over the last six months it looks like he’ll win a good sized victory tomorrow just as was expected all along.”
Mr. Romney’s decision to release his tax returns last week seems to have increased his support in Florida. The PPP poll asked voters for their opinion of “rich people.” The poll finished with 66 percent of the repondents having a favorable view of “rich people,” as opposed to just 8 percent having an unfavorable view.
Mr. Gingrich had urged the Bain Capital co-founder to release his tax returns earlier in the primary race. Mr. Romney was reluctant until last week, and his returns showed that he would be among the wealthiest presidents in U.S. history if he were to win the upcoming general election. Mr. Gingrich tried to portray Mr. Romney as someone who “lives in a world of Swiss bank accounts,” along the campaign trail last week.
The poll also asked voters of their opinion regarding Mr. Gingrich’s highly discussed “moon colony” idea. During a campaign speech given along Florida’s space coast last week, the former House speaker said that if he were elected president, he would pursue establishing a colony on the moon by the end of his second term.
Respondents to the PPP poll were not very impressed by the proposition, as just 21 percent of the voters supported the idea, while 53 percent of them opposed it.
The three major support bases for Mr. Romney according to the three day tracking poll were women, seniors and voters that identified themselves as moderate Republicans.
Mr. Gingrich wins the votes from voters that identify themselves as Tea Party Republicans and evangelical Christians.
The PPP poll was conducted between January 28th and January 30th among 1,087 likely Florida Republican primary voters with a margin of victory of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
Despite his projected second place finish in Florida, Mr. Gingrich has pledged that he will take his campaign all the way to the Republican convention this summer.
