Obama opens 4-point lead in Florida

{mosads}”The president is doing better among independent voters,” said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, in a statement. “It also is worth noting that the last Quinnipiac University Florida poll was on the heels of the president’s backing of gay marriage, which might have hurt him at that time.”

Mitt Romney has also struggled to win Florida voters over on his signature issue: the economy.

While voters give the Republican a narrow 4-point lead on the question of who would do a better job on the economy, they split evenly when asked who would create more jobs, and President Obama holds a 5-point advantage when respondents were asked who would do the most “to advance the economic interests of middle-class Americans.”

According to a report Thursday by Bloomberg, the Romney campaign has asked Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) to dial back on touting the improvements in his state’s economy, believing that messaging is clashing with Romney’s argument that the nation is suffering under President Obama.

“At this point, Romney is not well-defined in the minds of many voters, especially those in the middle. This movement reflects that uncertainty among voters who are up for grabs,” Brown said.

Still, Romney holds a lead among older voters, leading in Florida’s crucial 55-plus demographic 48-43 percent, and continues to best the president among whites and men.

The survey also examined the state’s upcoming U.S. Senate election, where Rep. Connie Mack (Fla.) is dominating the Republican primary field. Mack was the choice of 41 percent of respondents, while no other candidate cracked double digits. Earlier this week, Mack’s leading challenger for the primary — former Sen. George LeMieux (Fla.) — announced he would exit the race.

But Mack continues to trail incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) in a hypothetical one-on-one contest. Nelson was the choice of 43 percent of respondents, versus 39 percent for Mack.

“At this point, the Republican Senate nomination is Congressman Connie Mack’s to lose,” said Brown. “In politics, anything is possible, and we still have two months to go until the Senate primary, but it would take a major change in public opinion for one of the other candidates to stop Connie Mack. And the projected November election between U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson and Mack looks like it could go down to the wire.”