Once mocked as "The 25 Percent Man" due to his poll numbers, Mitt Romney can now boast he's leading the GOP presidential race in Florida, where a new poll shows him earning more than a third of the vote.
Romney pulls in 36 percent, a double-digit lead over Newt Gingrich who has 24 percent, according to a survey of self-described likely Republican voters conducted by Connecticut-based Quinnipiac University.
The poll shows Rick Santorum is a distant third, with 16 percent. Ron Paul is at 10 percent. Rick Perry gets 5 percent of the vote and Jon Huntsman pulls in only 2 percent.
Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, said the race is far from over. The Florida primary is Jan. 31, 10 days after South Carolina's vote. New Hampshire votes Tuesday.
Also, Romney's lead isn't solid.
“With more than half of voters saying they might change their minds and more than 50 percent of them backing candidates perceived as more conservative," Brown said in a written statement. "Romney could be vulnerable if those voters settle on one candidate.”
Democrats clearly see Romney as the likely winner. President Obama's campaign advisor, David Axelrod, hosted a conference call last week to bash Romney after he narrowly won the Iowa vote. During the call, Axelrod noted Romney could only earn about a quarter of the vote, making him "The 25 Percent Man."
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