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Updated 01/29/2012 12:26 PM

Decision 2012: New Florida Poll Shows Romney Leading Gingrich

By: NY1 News

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As a new Florida poll finds Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney with a double-digit lead over former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, just two days before the state's primary, Gingrich said in a Sunday morning interview that Romney is focusing too much on attacks.

The latest NBC/Marist Poll finds Gingrich trailing the former Massachusetts governor by 15 points.

The former speaker of the House of Representatives is predicting a close race in the Sunshine State, and claims the so-called "old establishment" is blocking his path to the nomination.

On "Fox News Sunday," Gingrich said, "He has a basic policy of carpet-bombing his opponent. He doesn't try to build up Mitt Romney, he just tries to tear down whoever he's running against."

Meanwhile, Romney is facing pressure from NBC to stop using former news anchor Tom Brokaw in a new campaign ad.

The entire 30-second ad is taken from a 1997 "NBC Nightly News" report about Gingrich's ethics violations.

While NBC and Brokaw have objected to the ad, a Romney adviser said campaign staffers believe the ad falls within the guidelines of fair use and probably will not stop running it.

Texas Congressman Ron Paul, who is trailing far behind in the Florida polls, is focusing on Maine and said in a Sunday interview the New England state could help his campaign gain momentum.

"We did pretty well three years ago, and we weren't nearly as well organized. Romney's been popular up there but less so right now, so I would say that we have a very good chance. We're going to have an excellent showing," said Paul.

Rick Santorum has left the campaign trail temporarily and is back in his home state of Pennsylvania, where his three-year-old daughter Bella has been hospitalized.

The girl suffers from trisomy 18, a genetic disorder caused by an extra chromosome.