A new poll shows former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney narrowly leading President Obama in a hypothetical general election matchup in Florida.

Romney, who tops Obama 43 percent to 42 percent in the Suffolk University/7NEWS poll released Wednesday, also leads the Republican primary race in the state. Romney garners support from 33 percent of Florida Republican voters, giving him a 19 point cushion over his closest competitor, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. Newt Gingrich comes in third with 9 percent, and Donald Trump and Sarah Palin tie for fourth with 8 percent.

Romney launched a presidential exploratory committee this week, his biggest step yet toward an all-but-announced 2012 bid. The Suffolk/7NEWS poll is the second this week to show Romney ahead of Obama in the Sunshine State. He led the president by five points, 48-43, in a Mason-Dixon poll released Monday.

President Obama fared better against other potential GOP opponents, however. He led Huckabee 44-41 and held double-digit leads over Gingrich, Palin, Trump, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann and Texas Rep. Ron Paul.

Still, the Suffolk poll highlights the challenges the president faces as he seeks to win Florida's crucial 29 electoral votes in 2012. His job approval rating in the state sits at 41 percent (48 percent disapprove), according to the poll. In the Mason-Dixon poll, his approval rating was 43 percent (56 percent disapproved), and in a Quinnipiac University poll released April 7, 52 percent of Florida voters disapproved of his performance (44 percent approved).

The Suffolk University/7NEWS poll of 600 registered Florida voters was conducted April 10-12. It has a margin of error of +/- 4 percent.