Associated Press

TALLAHASSEE — A new poll gives President Barack Obama a big bump in Florida after the killing of al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden.

The  Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday shows voters approve of Obama’s job performance by 51 percent to 43 percent.

That’s a turnaround from a 52 percent to 44 percent negative rating in a poll on April 7.

Florida voters also prefer the Democratic president 44 percent to 37 percent when matched against an unnamed Republican.

In April, Obama trailed 41 percent to 38 percent.

The poll also shows Democratic U.S.  Sen. Bill  Nelson far ahead of three potential Republican challengers.

The university polled 1,196 registered voters May 17 through 23 by cellular and landline phones. The poll has an error rate of plus or minus 2.8 percentage points.

Tags | florida primary, nelson, obama