McCain edges into Florida lead: opinion poll

Washington: Republican John McCain opened a narrow lead on rival Mitt Romney ahead of a critical Florida primary after picking up the endorsement of Governor Charlie Crist, according to a Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby poll released on Monday.

McCain gained three points overnight after winning the Florida governor's backing on Saturday.

The shift broke a tie at 30 per cent and pushed McCain, an Arizona senator, into a 33 per cent to 30 per cent lead on Romney before Tuesday's primary.

The margin of error in the poll is 3.4 percentage points.

The backing of Crist particularly helped McCain with conservatives. He wiped out a six-point lead for Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, among voters who describe themselves as conservatives.

Pollster John Zogbysaid the endorsement gave McCain more credibility among hard-line Republicans and older voters in Florida ahead of the potentially critical showdown.