FL Primary: New Poll Gives Romney 15 Point Florida Lead [VIDEO]

The latest polls in Florida have Mitt Romney leading among likely voters in Tuesday’s Republican president primary.

A new NBC/Marist poll shows Romney with 42 percent support while Newt Gingrich had slipped to 27 percent.

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After attacking Gingrich for the past several days, Romney’s been refocusing his criticism this weekend on President Barack Obama. He’s campaigning in south Florida today. Gingrich, has events planned in central Florida.

Meanwhile, Rick Santorum has left the campaign trail in Florida to be with his daughter. Three-year-old Isabel was admitted to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia last night. She has a serious genetic condition caused by the presence of all or part of an extra chromosome. A spokesman says Santorum will resume his campaign schedule as soon as possible.

Ron Paul is sitting out Florida’s primary, saying the winner-take-all rules don’t make sense for his campaign. He’s focusing his efforts in Maine and Nevada which have caucuses coming up.

Gingrich: Romney `carpet bombing’ rival with ads

Newt Gingrich says Republican presidential rival Mitt Romney “has a basic policy of carpet bombing his opponent” and that the “old establishment” in the party is trying to block Gingrich’s path to nomination.

Gingrich tells “Fox News Sunday” that Romney has done little to bolster his own campaign and instead has focused on attacking his competitors. The former House speaker says conservatives should rally behind one candidate and punish Romney’s negativity.

Gingrich and Romney are in a fierce contest in Florida, which has its primary on Tuesday.

Gingrich is campaigning as the most viable conservative and casts Romney as a “Massachusetts moderate.”

Gingrich is being far outspent, including one ad that highlights his resignation from Congress amid ethics allegations. Gingrich says Romney is “running an ad that is factually false.”

Santorum cancels morning events to be with child

Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum is canceling his Sunday morning campaign events and is spending time with his hospitalized daughter.

Santorum spokesman Hogan Gidley said Saturday night that the former Pennsylvania senator and his wife, Karen, were with 3-year-old Bella at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Gidley says Santorum plans to return to campaigning in Florida as soon as possible.

Bella Santorum has Trisomy 18, a genetic condition caused by the presence of all or part of an extra 18th chromosome. Bella was not expected to survive until her first birthday and her health worries have canceled previous Santorum campaign events.

Santorum had scheduled to appear on NBC’s “Meet the Press” and attend church in Miami.

Gingrich says he’s in ’til GOP convention

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich says he’ll stay in the race until the national convention this summer even if he loses Tuesday’s Florida primary.

Gingrich says, “Why don’t you ask Gov. Romney what he will do if he loses” in Florida, saying two recent national polls have Gingrich ahead.

The former House speaker’s comments raise the prospect of an extended struggle inside the party.

Meanwhile, front-runner Mitt Romney is pouring on the criticism of his rival in TV ads airing across Florida. A new ad mentions how Gingrich received an ethics reprimand from the House and was ordered to pay a $300,000 fine.

The ad, which uses an NBC News broadcast, is raising objections from former network anchor Tom Brokaw, who says he doesn’t want his role as a journalist “compromised for political gain by any campaign.”

In person, Romney’s criticism is directed at President Barack Obama, calling the president “detached from reality.” He says Obama’s “pretty please” foreign policy is not working terribly well, and says Obama wants to add 100,000 troops, not cut them.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)