ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) – Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney held a comfortable double-digit lead in polls over struggling rival Newt Gingrich as Florida’s Republican voters cast ballots on Tuesday in a pivotal presidential primary election.

Florida is by far the largest state to hold a primary this year and a Romney victory would give him a big boost in the state-by-state battle to decide who will face Democratic President Barack Obama in the November general election.

COCOA BEACH, Florida (Reuters) – Florida’s Republican voters go to the polls on Tuesday in a high-stakes presidential primary election that could determine the direction of the race.

In what shapes up as a two-man contest, most opinion polls show Mitt Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, holding a double-digit lead over Newt Gingrich, a former U.S. House speaker.

BOSTON (Reuters) – Possessing ‘All-American’ good looks, married to a supermodel and one of the most successful quarterbacks of all time, the New England Patriots’ Tom Brady transcends sport.

But on Sunday, it will be his play on the field that draws worldwide attention. A fourth Super Bowl win would seal the California-born athlete’s place among the game’s elite.

PANAMA CITY/ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) – Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich received the endorsement of former rival Herman Cain on Saturday and vowed to fight until the end no matter what happens in Florida’s upcoming primary vote.

Cain, who ended his presidential campaign in December under the weight of sexual harassment allegations, made the endorsement at an event with Gingrich in West Palm Beach. It is unclear how much impact it will have for Gingrich in Florida, which has been trending toward rival Mitt Romney ahead of the state’s vote on Tuesday.

LUCIE, Florida (Reuters) – Bolstered by positive poll numbers, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Saturday sought to vanquish rival Newt Gingrich in Florida with a biting new ad about ethics charges and a mocking tone about his debate complaints.

Just days ahead of a pivotal primary race that could determine who has the momentum to win the Republican state-by-state nominating battle, Romney and Gingrich traveled around Florida in a final weekend pitch to undecided voters.

LUCIE, Florida (Reuters) – Bolstered by positive poll numbers, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Saturday sought to vanquish rival Newt Gingrich in Florida with a biting new ad about ethics charges and a mocking tone about his debate complaints.

Just days ahead of a pivotal primary race that could determine who has the momentum to win the Republican state-by-state nominating battle, Romney and Gingrich traveled around Florida in a final weekend pitch to undecided voters.

JACKSONVILLE, Florida (Reuters) – Republican Newt Gingrich has had great success recently by firing up conservative voters with attacks on debate moderators. But a flat-footed performance in Thursday’s debate suggests he might have tried the tactic once too often.

The former U.S. House speaker’s runaway win in the South Carolina primary on Saturday was attributed in large part to the way he went after the mainstream media in general and debate moderators in particular.

JACKSONVILLE, Florida (Reuters) – Republican presidential rivals Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich clashed bitterly over illegal immigration on Thursday night at a contentious debate that will set the stage for Florida’s primary vote in five days.

The neck-and-neck nature of the race for Florida and its crucial implications for the Republican presidential nomination added a level of tension in the debate arena at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville as the candidates sparred.

COCOA BEACH, Florida (Reuters) – Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich likes to be known as an ideas guy. His brainstorms can seem straight out of science fiction – establishing a colony on the moon – or the novels of Charles Dickens – putting poor children to work as janitors.

The long line of head-scratchers provides fodder for his opponents to attack Gingrich’s “electability.” The thought process that might lie behind the ideas – like suggesting mandatory drug testing for federal aid applicants – also contributes to the candidate’s reputation as a polarizing figure in the Republican race to pick a challenger to Democratic President Barack Obama in November’s election.