BY PATRICK O’CONNOR AND LOUISE RADNOFSKY

TAMPA, Fla.—His lead in this state’s polls having evaporated, Newt Gingrich risks leaving Florida with little momentum and few immediate opportunities to regain an edge against his top rival, Mitt Romney.

Mr. Gingrich, the former House speaker, has seen his rise blunted by a series of attacks on his leadership style and personal qualities coming from Mr. Romney, from Romney supporters and from a range of prominent figures within the Republican Party. Four polls released over the weekend showed Mr. Romney holding leads of between eight and 16 percentage points ahead of Florida’s GOP presidential primary on Tuesday.

The harsh …