Florida's Republican voters are making a firm stand for the conservative, pro-family values that have defined their party for decades by fleeing en masse from Herman Cain after multiple sexual harassment charges and new allegations that he carried on a 14-year affair.
Yessir, there's no place in the GOP for that kind of philandering, which is why a new poll this morning shows Florida's Republicans are heavily favoring ... Newt Gingrich, a guy with several high-profile affairs under his belt, including one after his wife was diagnosed with MS.
Gingrich is suddenly crushing the competition in the Sunshine State, at least according to a poll conducted last night for the Florida Times Union.
The survey of 513 registered Republicans found Gingrich cruising with 41 percent support, with Mitt Romney a distant second at 17 percent and Herman Cain foundering at 13 percent.
Romney's gala endorsement earlier this week by Miami's reigning Cuban-American delegation of Illeana Ros-Lehtinen and the Diaz-Balart brothers didn't do much to boost his numbers in the state, apparently.
But the truly baffling issue to parse is why Gingrich's star has risen so quickly as Cain's has fallen.
Most are attributing the pizza magnate's implosion to the barrage of accusations over the past month that he's a serial lady-groper, topped with allegations this week by an Atlanta woman named Ginger White that he'd carried on a 14-year affair with her.
Which is all well and good -- but how the hell can Newt Gingrich be a viable alternative if extra-marital touchy-feely is the central issue for conservative voters?
This is a guy who's been married three times and has admitted that he cheated on his second wife after her diagnosis with multiple sclerosis. If you're going to vote on your moral high horse, Gingrich hardly seems like the most qualified candidate.
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