Marco Rubio of Florida and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker – are seeing their prospects slip away as Trump continues to surge in just about every national and state poll. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie got 1%.
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The poll results did not surprise him. “As with the classic episode of “Seinfeld, ‘ the Festivus nature of this campaign won’t be over unless the leader – in this case, Trump – is taken down”. This sentiment seems to be related to their dismal view of the Republican Party in general.
Carson’s gains since the first Republican presidential debate seemingly haven’t been lost on Trump.
Carson, who last week apologized to Trump for questioning his faith, said he isn’t going after the businessman’s voters in any event.
No other GOP candidate is even close to the two outsiders. Will it be Carson, whose quiet style has won him a sizable following and strong momentum, particularly among evangelical voters?
When asked about Trump, 63 percent of respondents answered “no” when aksed whether he “has the right kind of personality and temperament it takes to serve effectively as president“. Add Carly Fiorina to the mix, and the three candidates who have never held elective office beat out the 14 politicians 52 percent to 39 percent.
While the negative coverage from the sources conservative voters trust most is a good argument against the “media chosen candidate” argument, the rise of Ben Carson is perhaps a better one. There is no significant difference in support levels based on partisan registration. In fact, Republican voters would prefer Carson to Trump by a 19-point margin if they were the final two candidates in the primary. Trump is not slowing down, he is connecting with voters. After Carson and Trump, there isn’t much separating the rest of the pack.
Trump is showing signs that he’s aware of the growing target on his back.
Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are leading in a new poll released Sunday, but trouble may be brewing for the Republican Party. In that survey, Carson registered at just 6 percent, but now is coming in at 23 percent.
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With the Iowa caucuses more than four months away, Carson also noted that the race is not a sprint but a marathon. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Ted Cruz of Texas must have felt the same. Cruz’s favorability also jumped (50 percent to 28 percent) relative to July (44 percent to 32 percent). Walker, who drew 57 percent to 16 percent favorable numbers in July, experienced a decrease this time – down to 44 percent to 25 percent.
