As the Republican candidates for president (well, two of them anyhow) depart Florida for Nevada, Minnesota and other states where delegates are up for grabs, the question of who will win Florida in November was raised on Tuesday, as the political director for the Republican National Committee, Rick Wiley, issued a memo about why he believes momentum is on the GOP side this year, regardless of who will face Barack Obama.
It's undeniable that the Sunshine State remains the biggest battleground state. It's only become more important this time around in terms of electoral votes, as its count has risen to 29 this year, based on census data giving the state two more members of Congress.
President Obama took 51 percent of the vote here in 2008, and with the exception of a recent NBC News/Marist poll, has consistently been even or losing to Mitt Romney in would-be match-ups.
Wiley says the growing dissatisfaction with Obama among three constituencies — seniors, Jews and Hispanics — makes him vulnerable in November.
This article appears in Jan 26 – Feb 1, 2012.