TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - A new poll shows Mitt Romney opening a lead over Newt Gingrich among likely voters as they head toward Tuesday's Republican presidential preference primary in Florida.

Romney was favored by 38 percent compared to Gingrich's 29 percent in a survey of 580 likely voters conducted after Monday's
debate in Tampa and before Thursday's debate in Jacksonville. Ron Paul received 14 percent and Rick Santorum 12 percent in the latest Quinnipiac University survey. The poll's margin of error was plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.

The new figures indicate that Gingrich has lost some of the momentum he'd picked up with a victory in South Carolina on Jan.
21. Romney was favored by 36 percent of likely Florida Republican voters to 34 percent for Gingrich going into the week's earlier
debate.

     
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