In this race for the Republican Party's nomination, things seem to be continuously turning on a dime. Mitt Romney, the well-established front-runner going into the campaign, has been trading the lead with a series of candidates for months now. His most recent -- and likely last -- sparring partner for the nomination is Newt Gingrich, who earlier this month sprinted back into the lead with a solid victory in the South Carolina primary.
But following a strong debate performance last week in Jacksonville, Fla., Romney appears to be taking a commanding lead in Florida polls.
What are the latest polls in Florida indicating?
According to a Rasmussen Reports poll released Sunday, Romney has built a big lead going into Tuesday's primary. The poll, which was conducted Saturday, shows a 16-point lead for Romney. He has 44 percent, while Gingrich is a distance second with 28 percent. Rick Santorum is third with 12 percent and Ron Paul is bringing up the rear with 10 percent. Five percent of respondents were unsure of who they would vote for when they were asked.
A Public Policy Polling survey, which was also conducted Saturday, gave Romney a slimmer lead, 40 percent to 32 percent, over Gingrich. Santorum comes in with 15 percent and Paul has 9 percent of the vote in the poll.
How are the candidates doing nationally?
Given the fact the nomination process involves individual state primaries and caucuses, national polling doesn't hold the same level of importance as each state poll does. That said, there is some hope for Gingrich in a recent national Gallup poll conducted late last week showing he has maintained the gains he has made over Romney following the South Carolina primary. Santorum and Paul remain far down in the poll, as they do in most state polls as well.
After Florida, what will the future hold for the Republican candidates?
The nomination process will speed up. Nevada, Maine, Minnesota and Colorado will vote during the first week in February, with more states to follow later in the month. The race already seems to be down to two candidates -- Romney and Gingrich -- who can realistically win. But Paul has vowed to stay in the race no matter what, and his strategy for collecting delegates in caucus states could prove menacing for Romney and Gingrich.
Santorum's campaign has been stalled since his surprise victory in Iowa. Even if he maintains the funding that he needs to continue into February he shows no signs of gaining traction among voters. The probability that he would drop out of the race by early February, if not sooner, would seem to be high at this point.
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