Rubio, who ranks third behind Sen. He’s being beat by Kentucky Sen.
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Cruz has been working hard to woo the Donald and his supporters, who are a natural fit for Cruz’s own virulent conservatism. For Ted Cruz, the glass-half-full interpretation is that the best poll in the state still shows him ahead – by 3 points over Donald Trump – when several other recent polls in Iowa had shown a narrow advantage for Trump instead.
After Trump repeatedly fanned the flames over whether Cruz was eligible to be president because of the Texas senator’s birth in Canada, Cruz went on the offensive. He’s challenged Cruz’s stance on ethanol subsidies – a critical issue in Iowa where farming and agriculture are influential industries.
The Texas senator has largely declined to return fire, opting to brush aside questions from reporters or respond with humor. Cruz gave up any claim to Canadian citizenship in 2014. Trump insists that’s not been settled and says Democrats are likely to file a lawsuit over the matter should the GOP nominate Cruz.
There are signs that Trump’s onslaught is at least resonating with some voters.
The candidate’s in-the-know supporters feel it’s time for Trump to drop his line on Lewandowski and bellow, “you’re fired!” Rubio is at 16 percent, followed by Christie at 12 and Cruz at 11, with everyone else in single digits. Not only did Trump shoot to the top of the polls, he became an instant television attraction that helped Republican debates reach record viewership levels and increase the ratings of most programs on which he appeared. He has been a thorn in the side of party leaders as he’s earned himself the label of obstructionist during his first few years in the Senate.
While New Hampshire has a history of unfriendliness toward White House hopefuls like Cruz, his supporters in the state say he has a chance to reverse that trend.
After a Cruz administration shuts down the U.S. Department of Education, liberal megadonor George Soros would replace it with the “William Jefferson Clinton Museum of Youth Outreach”, Cruz said. “The point is, you’re not”.
But the pollsters asked more than one question, and the voters they spoke with took the time from their busy schedules to weigh in. However, Rubio is competitive in all three early states, unlike his “establishment” competitors. If the nominee is Ted Cruz, the situation is still dicey.
That puts a big target first on Rubio’s back.
Mudslinging abounds elsewhere in the field as a grouping of other candidates fight to be the alternative to Trump with battles over national security and immigration.
Currently, the polls show Trump with a large lead in New Hampshire, and four mainstream conservatives – Rubio, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush – all bunched closely for second, along with Cruz. One of them will surely be gone after New Hampshire, and probably two and possibly three.
“In addition, “because there will still be seven candidates on stage, it still may be the case that the only way to be heard to be the loudest” on the stage”, he said. He is liked in national polls and various state polls, but never well liked, and is consistently mired at just over 10% in every survey.
Even respondents with a favorable opinion of Rubio are more skeptical of his level of experience than Cruz’s, the poll finds. Since then I’ve preferred to remain officially neutral, voting on the issues rather than automatically with the party. “The moderates here, as they are elsewhere, are split, so we don’t have a clear establishment favorite like [Mitt] Romney was in 2012”. “There’s also this little thing called the Constitution”. “It’s time for the folks in the undercard to say, We tried”.
The retired neurosurgeon’s sudden surge in the polls caught many by surprise.
Bush has been tearing into Trump recently over the incident, calling him a “jerk” unprompted late last month in New Hampshire.
But unlike Trump, Carson’s moment has turned out to be a blip in the cycle. No other candidate gets more than 8% support nationally. His voters are anti-establishment and social conservatives.
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But Trump vs. Cruz isn’t the only angling going on.
