Ft. Myers, Fla.
Is there an intensity gap between supporters of Newt Gingrich and supporters of Mitt Romney in Florida? Based on the size of the crowds showing up at their events on Tuesday, it would appear so. As Michael Warren reports, there were thousands of Floridians at Newt Gingrich events in Sarasota and Naples on Tuesday. Fewer than 200 people showed up at Mitt Romney's speech in Tampa on Tuesday morning, and fewer than 400 showed up at his speech outside Ft. Myers Tuesday afternoon.
Following the Tampa speech, a Romney aide told reporters that the events weren't designed to be rallies but to reach viewers in Florida's 10 TV markets. Still, both events were open to the public, and the disparity in crowd size doesn't look good for Romney. Then again, Ron Paul drew by far the largest crowds in Iowa and came in third place there, so intensity alone won't put Gingrich over the top.
The latest poll, conducted by the Chamber of Commerce, shows Romney and Gingrich tied at 33 percent each. Gingrich leads Romney by 4 points in the RealClearPolitics average of Florida polls.