According to a new Tampa Bay Times/Bay News 9/Miami Herald poll, Mitt Romney maintains a six point lead over Barack Obama, 51 percent to 45 percent, in Florida.
Still, nearly every key indicator in the Times' pre-Election Day poll reveals Romney's advantage in a state Obama won four years ago.
Florida voters trust Romney more to fix the economy and give him an edge, 50 percent to 48 percent, on who will look out more for the middle class — a stark turn from past months when Obama and his allies unleashed a barrage of TV ads portraying Romney as an out-of-touch corporate raider.
Romney even has a slight advantage on foreign policy, with 2 percent more voters saying they trust him over Obama, who has faced criticism over the fatal attack on a U.S. consulate in Libya.
Other findings from the Tampa Bay Times/Bay News 9/Miami Herald poll:
• Only 42 percent of voters have a favorable view of Obama versus 49 percent who have an unfavorable opinion. Romney has a 53 percent favorable rating and a 34 percent unfavorable rating. Floridians had a favorable opinion of Obama as late as September.
• Romney's lead in Florida is built on a lopsided advantage among men and by Obama's slide with women voters. Obama holds only a two percentage point lead among women, down from 14 in July.
• Romney is also capturing more Democratic support than Obama is taking Republicans, chiefly in rural North Florida.
• Among the vital independent voters, Romney leads 49 percent to 43 percent, with 8 percent still undecided.
• Romney is also favored among every age group except voters ages 18 to 34, a key to Obama's 2008 success.
Florida carries 29 electoral votes.
Infographic from the poll below. (Full page version HERE)
More discussion on this poll over at Memeorandum.
