Romney narrowly edges Cain in Florida poll; Perry trails significantly

Herman Cain's win in the Florida straw poll could very well be a harbinger of building momentum, according to a new poll of Republicans in the state released Thursday by SurveyUSA.

Pundits had initially questioned whether Cain's victory in the straw poll — in which he earned more than twice the votes of any other candidate — was a protest vote by Republicans disenchanted with the debate performance of presumptive front-runner Rick Perry. But Cain ranked second Thursday in the statewide poll of Republican voters, with 25 percent support — he trails Florida front-runner Mitt Romney by just 2 points. Both Romney and Cain have substantial leads over Perry, who finished third with 13 percent of the vote.

The news is especially troubling for the Perry campaign, which had hoped to make inroads in the crucial swing state. The Texas governor held a breakfast over the weekend for Florida straw poll voters and was actively courting support, while other candidates — including Romney, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann and Jon Huntsman — all left to campaign in other states.

"There are a number of candidates who have spurned Florida's straw poll, and I think that's a big mistake," Perry said Saturday. "I have all my hopes on Florida."

But Perry did not seem to make a good impression with Florida voters, who may have been concerned by his debate performance or continued description of the Social Security program as a "Ponzi scheme." The SurveyUSA poll found that four times as many Florida Republicans had a favorable view of Romney relative to Perry.

Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, might have to be more concerned about Cain, who has been surging in national polls after the straw poll victory. On Wednesday, a national poll released by Fox News found the former pizza company executive running third behind Romney and Perry, tripling his level of support from a month prior.

Romney seems to be shoring up support among older voters, women and moderates, while Cain is gathering steam behind men, younger voters and Tea Party members. Perry's stronghold in Florida remains evangelicals.

Newt Gingrich, Bachmann and Texas Rep. Ron Paul effectively tied for fourth place in the SurveyUSA poll, with around 5 percent.

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