Poll: Romney up 5 points in Florida

GOP nominee Mitt Romney holds a strong 5-point lead in swing-state Florida a day before the election, according to a new poll from the Florida Times-Union/Insider Advantage.

The poll, released late Sunday, shows likely voters favoring Romney by 52 percent support to 47 percent for President Obama. Romney holds a larger 25-point edge among crucial independent voters. 

“Romney’s lead is made possible by the substantial advantage he enjoys among those who identify themselves as independent voters,” said InsiderAdvantage CEO Matt Towery, in a report in the Times-Union. “Independent voters have been the determining factor in Florida political contests for many years.”

The poll finds Romney leading with every age group except those between the ages of 18 and 29, where Obama posts a 67-32 edge. Romney, though, carries seniors by a 17-point margin.

Obama also holds a slight edge among the state’s Hispanic voters, at an 54-45 advantage, but it's well below his national numbers with the key demographic. 

Romney’s wide lead in the Times-Union poll was mirrored in a Times Bay Times/Miami Herald/Mason-Dixon poll Saturday that found Romney up 6 points, 51 to 45 percent. 

Other polls, though, have shown a closer race in Florida, with a poll from Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling (PPP) putting Obama up 50 to 49 and an NBC/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll last week giving Obama a 2-point lead.

Romney will visit Sanford, Fla. on Monday.

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