Another poll shows Ted Cruz leading Donald Trump in Iowa.
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The Des Moines Register and Bloomberg Politics poll released on Saturday finds Cruz commanding 31% of likely Republican caucus-goers in the state, 10 points ahead of Trump, who received 21%.
Ben Carson has dropped to third place in Iowa with 13 per cent of the poll; Marco Rubio has 10 per cent, putting him in fourth place; and Jeb Bush has 6 per cent. The remaining candidates have 3 per cent or less.
Donald Trump, now 10 points below Cruz, wasted no time in tearing into Cruz – and the poll – during an Iowa stop.
Texas US Senator Ted Cruz has solidified his lead among Republican presidential contenders in the politically crucial state of Iowa, a new poll shows.
Yet Trump, who has relished in whacking his Republican rivals, at times did not appear totally willing to give the same treatment to Cruz, who has yet to publicly call out Trump. The comments came two days after Mr. Trump proposed barring Muslims from entering the United States as a way to combat terrorism; Mr. Cruz said he disagreed but did not criticize Mr. Trump as others have. The percentage of likely caucusgoers who have a positive view of Cruz is now 73%, up 12 points from October, including 43% who have a very favorable impression.
Cruz has been positioning himself to capture any supporters who decide to leave the Trump or Carson campaign and from the results of this poll, that move is paying dividends for the tea party senator.
Iowa helps shape the race to the White House by being the first state to hold a caucus deciding each party’s nominee. “The Trump phenomenon took us all by surprise, but the Cruz phenomenon has not”.
Mr Cruz has spent little money on advertising in Iowa so far, according to CNN, suggesting his popularity could rise further.
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But Mr. Cruz’s sudden momentum in Iowa complicates Mr. Trump’s plan. But another poll conducted by Monmouth University, also released Monday, had Cruz ahead with 24 percent over Trump’s 19 percent.
