The poll finds Bush’s numbers down slightly overall, from 12% support in July to 7% now, and while his debate performances haven’t shifted public opinion against him, he hasn’t made any gains either. As I see it, this opportunistic determination led, among other things, to his decision to “stand with Rand” in a filibuster against the non-existent threat of American citizens being attacked in the U.S.by drones and to his contribution to a partial government shut-down.
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Eclipsed this week by Pope Francis’ tour of the US, the billionaire developer and former TV reality show star spent his day slinging insults. That role was expected to be filled by a more “conventional” candidate – someone like Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, an early favorite based on his courageous battles against unionists in his state.
All of the polls show Trump well ahead of the pack.
The CNN/WMUR New Hampshire poll taken after the second Republican presidential debate gave Trump 26 percent.
The field remains fluid, however. There, Trump held 21% of the vote among registered Republicans and other GOP-leaning voters.
At the same time, there is a high interest level in the primary, although it is still more than four months away. Trump did worst, 20 percent of all voters, including 22 percent of Republicans, say. Nonetheless, the Fox News headline following the release of these polls is “The Doctor is in Trump’s House”.
The pollsters said the survey results indicated a “major shakeup” in the race for Florida’s 99 delegates, as the political “outsiders” of Trump, Carson, and Fiorina have surged.
A third of Kasich’s supporters say they are backing him because of his experience and record, which he has emphasized during repeated visits to New Hampshire. Clinton, Bush, and Trump all posted negative ratings, while Sanders and Fiorina were positive in that category.
Those who identified themselves as Republican reported a 55 to 33 percent preference for Bush over Trump. If Trump hangs with Bush until the primary, expect Jeb to win the split decision.The former Florida governor is proud to endorse his record, which is one that can’t be distorted by the Democrats when it comes to the general election. The same is true for Fiorina, at 14% with women versus 11% with men. Twenty-eight percent of all voters and 39 percent of Republicans believe the former Hewlett-Packard chief executive won last week’s GOP debate at the Reagan Presidential Library. Cruz is viewed as the most conservative candidate by 18 percent, trailed by Huckabee at 13 percent and Paul at 9 percent.
Fiorina had 5 percent support in August, compared with Rubio’s 4 percent.
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Meanwhile, the most important issue on the minds of likely Republican primary voters continues to be jobs and the economy, cited by 29 percent.
