The first post-South Carolina poll of Florida is out. And it has Newt 9 points ahead of Romney.

PPP reports that their first night of polling Florida shows Newt and Mitt “neck and neck.”

As you can see Romney went to town on Newt Gingrich this evening in a newly aggressive stump speech taking Newt to task on pretty much all the signature Gingrich failings. But beyond the generally tough demeanor, there’s another meta-message: I can dog whistle and bloody Obama as well as Newt, or I know bitch-slap politics as well as the next guy. So don’t be worried that I won’t be ready for that epochal debate. Mitt’s new line is that we want someone in the White House who has “had a job” before. Unlike President Obama, who apparently has never had a job before?

“I think it’s time we had someone in the White House who knows how to create jobs because he’s had a job.”

So President Obama, the self-made man, has never had a job before, unlike Mitt Romney, the guy born into the highest realms of wealth and power. That’s where we’re going.

Benjy Sarlin’s report on the newly pugnacious Mitt Romney.

They say Mitt Romney has to go to war with Newt Gingrich. And it sounds like Mitt got the message. Our Benjy Sarlin is at a rally as I write with Romney and he’s tearing into Newt on every front — failed leadership, corruption, erratic temperament, the works. Report shortly.