Romney spoke to supports this morning at a rallyl at Ring Power Lift Trucks on Philips Highway.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- This morning GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney was in Jacksonville for a rally at Ring Power Lift Trucks on Philips Highway.
Romney has a 14-point lead over Newt Gingrich in a new Florida poll ahead of tomorrow's primary.
MORE: Political Florida
Romney has support from 43 percent of likely GOP voters in the final Florida poll from Quinnipiac University, compared with 29 percent for Gingrich. Support for the former Massachusetts governor has grown by 5 percentage points since Quinnipiac's previous poll was released Friday.
Ron Paul and Rick Santorum are tied with 11 percent support each, according to the Quinnipiac survey.
Monday night: Florida Primary Special at 8 p.m. on WTLV-NBC 12
Today, at Ring Power, Romney didn't wait long before launching into attacks on Gingrich at this morning's rally, telling the crowd that the former House speaker "hasn't done so well connecting" with Floridians because of his relationship with mortgage company Freddie Mac.
PICTURES: Candidates Campaigning Monday
"It's been fun going to the debates; I love the debates," Romney said, standing in a garage of Ring Power. "You know these debates have gone pretty well. Speaker Gingrich wasn't very happy with the debates, though. He said after the first debate that he didn't do well because the crowd was so quiet it threw him off. The second debate he said he didn't do well because the crowd was so loud.
MORE: Gingrich Back in Jacksonville for Campaign Event
Romney also poked fun at Gingrich's suggestion that the United States should colonize on the moon, remarking, "The idea of the moon as the 51st state is not what would have come to my mind as a campaign basis for here in Florida."
Florida is the biggest prize yet in the GOP race, with 50 delegates being awarded to tomorrow's primary. If Romney wins, he will have bounced back from a resounding 12-point loss to Gingrich in the Jan. 21 South Carolina primary.
Romney "is headed towards a double-digit victory that touches all the GOP bases," said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "Romney carries every part of the GOP coalition, including the parts central to Gingrich -- self- described conservatives, white evangelical Christians and Tea Party supporters."
Romney said in an interview this morning that he decided to respond "clearly" after "being whaled" by Gingrich in South Carolina.
"We made it clear if people want change in Washington you have to bring in someone from outside Washington," Romney said on NBC's Today program."He's a nice fellow," Romney said about Gingrich, "but his leadership capability has been called into question by virtue of people who worked with him."
Gingrich, meanwhile, kept up his attacks on Romney during an interview on ABC's Good Morning America. The former House speaker said there's little difference between Romney and President Obama, noting their "parallels" including similar health care proposals they each signed into law.
"In the long run the Republican Party is not going to nominate the founder of Romneycare, a liberal Republican who is pro-abortion, pro-gun control and pro-tax increases," Gingrich said on ABC. "Ain't gonna happen."
ABC, USA Today