Romney heavily favored in Florida's Republican primary

Jan 31, 2012, 6:06 GMT

Washington - Comeback kid Mitt Romney is racing ahead in the Florida polls in the run-up to Tuesday's Republican presidential primary.

By a margin of 12.5 percentage points, the former Massachusetts governor appears to have picked himself up and dusted himself off after losing to rival Newt Gingrich, who won 40 per cent of the vote on January 21 in South Carolina.

The Florida prize is the largest so far in the race for the conservative party's presidential nomination, offering 50 delegates to the Republican convention in August. Of the 1,144 delegates needed to win, Gingrich has 23 from his South Carolina win, and Romney has 19 from his win in New Hampshire and strong performance in Iowa.

The polls open at 7 am (1200 GMT) Tuesday in Florida and close at 7 pm (0000 Wednesday GMT).

Florida, as one of the most populous states, plays a key role in the general elections in November.

Texas Congressman Ron Paul, who has 3 delegates, and former senator Rick Santorum, who has 13 delegates, are still in the race but limping far behind.

The winner in Florida will get all of the state's delegates and momentum leading into a group of primaries and caucuses in February that lead up to 'Super Tuesday' on March 6, when 10 states vote.