A week after proposing to ban all Muslims from entering the United States, Donald Trump has reached new heights in the polls.
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In the most telling statement about the likelihood of Trump running in the general election come November, Luntz remarked yesterday on “Face the Nation”: “I’ve never seen voters so passionate and committed to a candidate after seeing an hour’s worth of reasons why not to vote for him”. Marco Rubio, R-Florida. Support for Cruz and Rubio has grown by 4 percentage points each. Other candidates, including former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, polled within the margin of error, with 6 percent remaining undecided. Ted Cruz, at 14%; followed by Republican Sen. “You’ve got no clue”, she said of the Muslim tourists, immigrants, and refugees Trump wants to temporarily bar from coming to the US.
His message to the Republican establishment: “I’m sorry I did this to you, but you’ve got to get used to it. It’s one of the problems in life”. That is a 10 point lead over national GOP front-runner Trump, who claimed 21 percent of support, according to CNN. “Those who are definitely going to caucus are less likely to support him, so he needs to motivate people to attend who may not usually do so”. Cruz was reported by the New York Times this week to have questioned at a closed-door fundraiser Trump’s judgment, a departure from his public refusal to attack Trump.
The latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, released just days prior to Monmouth’s, shows Trump in the lead, but with 27 percent.
Cruz’s campaign has dismissed Rubio’s criticism, with spokesman Rick Tyler saying, “Nobody believes Senator Cruz is weak on national defense and security”. If you’re a Trump critic, cling tightly to that Selzer poll this weekend that had Cruz up 10 there.
It’s the largest lead Trump has ever held in the race, and it comes as the candidates are making their way to Las Vegas, Nevada, for their final debate of year. Trump quickly sent a shot at Cruz, tweeting, “Looks like @tedcruz is getting ready to attack. I have some of the greatest assets anywhere in the world”, Trump said, praising himself, reports CBS News. In the Granite State, the establishment rift is even more evident: those five candidates are splitting up 41 percent of the vote, which would easily best Trump.
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Looking at the demographic makeup of Trump supporters, a more precise picture takes shape. But now that national security and terrorism are dominating the news cycle and these issues top the lists of most important issue for many Republican voters, the neurosurgeon will need to convince voters of his foreign affairs chops to stop his downward spiral.
