Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich took his campaign to South Florida recently, determined to halt the momentum of main rival, Mitt Romney, for the nomination.

Gingrich appeared undaunted over the various Florida polls showing Romney leading with an average of 36 percent, compared to Gingrich's average of 23 percent, leading up to the Florida Republican primary on January 31. He is confident his message will resonate among South Florida Republicans as early voting begins on Saturday, January 21.

Addressing Republican supporters at the Versailles Restaurant in Miami's Little Havana, Gingrich severely criticized Romney as a pro-tax, pro-abortion and pro gun-control candidate. He also repeated a criticism made on the campaign trail in South Carolina – which holds its primaries on Saturday, January 21 – that as the head of the investment firm Bain Capital, Romney profited by closing companies and laying off employees.

In an obvious attempt to woo Cuban voters, Gingrich also said if elected president he would crack down on the Cuban government. Many Cubans in South Florida believe that Romney has not given sufficient attention to the relationship between the U.S. government and the Raul Castro regime in Cuba.

Some Hispanics have stated they favor Gingrich's message over other candidates due to his focus on immigration. Gingrich has proposed immigration reforms that include offering permanent residency to immigrants who have lived in the U.S. for a long time and have not committed a crime.

Among African- and Caribbean-American registered Republicans contacted by the National Weekly, 84 percent expressed a clear preference for Romney over Gingrich and the other candidates. All those favoring Romney believed that he "stands the best chance of defeating President Obama" in November.

Gingrich also promised to employ policies to curb South Florida's raging home foreclosures, which include strengthening the national economy by repealing the current tax code, introducing a flat tax and eliminating the business capital gains tax.

Despite his strong lead in Florida, Romney has not taken that lead for granted. Last week he began airing ads on most South Florida TV stations. With his vast amount of campaign cash, Romney will likely enjoy a strong advantage over his rivals, most of whom, including Gingrich, are focusing their limited funds on the South Carolina primary. Most analysts say Romney's head start in TV ads will give him an advantage among early voters.

Gingrich told reporters in Miami he is confident of winning South Carolina's primary, and that momentum will serve him well in Florida. The latest polls in South Carolina give Romney 27 percent of the votes and Gingrich 24 percent.

Jon Huntsman drops out of race

Meanwhile, former Utah Governor and U.S. Ambassador to China, Jon Huntsman, announced on Monday that he was withdrawing from the Republican race for president. Huntsman, who finished third in the New Hampshire primary, and consistently polled last in national polls, also threw his support behind Romney, claiming he is the best candidate to defeat Obama.