As Cruz rises and Trump falls, one political operative told the Des Moines Register that the business mogul is paying a price for his rough-and-tumble campaign style, saying Iowa’s 11th commandment is “Thou shalt be nice” and that Trump has broken that commandment too many times. The truce first frayed last week, when leaked audio from a private fundraiser showed Cruz questioning whether Trump has the “judgment” to be president.
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A new poll by Bloomberg Politics and The Des Moines Register shows Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz vaulting to the front of the pack, overtaking Ben Carson and Donald Trump.
With the start of primary season right around the corner, Trump’s still going strong. A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll showed Cruz rising to 22 percent – up from 10 percent in October – and pulling just behind Trump’s 27 percent nationally. In contrast, 51 percent say they would feel anxious with Clinton in the Oval Office, compared with 47 percent who say they would feel comfortable.
The billionaire real estate developer spent the weekend defending his proposed ban on Muslims entering the USA, a plan that’s drawn almost universal condemnation from government leaders around the world. “She’s killed hundreds of thousands of people with her stupidity”, Trump said on Fox.
On Fox, where Trump took a tougher tone, he used Cruz’s Washington reputation against the senator.
For awhile last month, as Trump maintained his lead, establishment types began rallying around Rubio, but the momentum wasn’t there and he didn’t become the clear alternative.
After major terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, Calif., Republicans see terrorism as the most important issue in the election by a wide margin; it is cited by 38 percent, compared with 29 percent who name the economy and just 6 percent who highlight immigration. He is bunched closely with the four others – Cruz, Rubio, Carson and Bush – who make up the top five. “And I think that is a question that is a challenging question for both of them”.
The poll underscores the desire for change and the appeal of outsiders among Republican rank-and-file that has been a staple of this political year – though not among all Americans.
Many politicians rankle peers.
“I don’t think he’s qualified to be president”, Trump said. Many have detractors. Cruz generates antipathy of an entirely different magnitude.
“Poll numbers go up and down”, Carson said. The poll also projected Clinton to win over Cruz, with a smaller margin of 48 percent of the national vote going to Clinton versus 45 percent for Cruz.
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The poll, conducted December 7-10, surveyed 400 likely Republican caucus-goers.
