Most of these results are within a few points of each candidates’ vote share back in September, except for Rubio whose support has tripled from 4%.
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Rubio, who delivered a standout performance in the third GOP debate last Wednesday, has jumped from seventh to third place in the first-in-the-nation primary state, and now has the support of 13 percent of people in the latest poll.
Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas was next at 9 percent, followed by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush at 7 percent, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie at 5 percent each, and Sen. Without Rubio in the race, Bush donors who are jittery about Trump would be looking hard at Christie as a centrist alternative to Trump who plays well with the donor class and performs well on the stump.
The most striking thing here is how little everyone has changed since Monmouth’s last poll of the state in September – except Rubio.
Other than Rubio’s rise, “the contours of the New Hampshire primary have not shifted significantly since September”, according to the poll. Carson, who has been surging across the country, places second, with 16 percent.
Rubio’s rising standing has clearly caught the attention several top candidates.
Just 20 percent of likely primary voters say they’re completely decided on a candidate.
That’s additional good news for the Rubio camp, since it suggests that the senator was building momentum even before his good performance.
Carson still leads the Republican field as the most-liked candidate in New Hampshire, though his favorability rating has dropped nine points from 73 percent to 64 percent. Forty-four percent of voters now view Bush favorably, up five points since last month, while Christie has turned his previous net-negative rating around and is now viewed favorably by 54 percent of voters.
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But then the bad news for them: Bush and Christie are hoping to be the go-to candidates for the more moderate wing of the Republican Party – putting them to a few extent in the same lane as the improving Marco Rubio.
