Still, the Q poll is the latest sign that Rubio looks like the real deal in a crowded, cacophonous Republican field.
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Democrats and the Republican establishment have said – for months – that Trump’s angry rhetoric would turn such voters off. If this poll is anything to go by, that’s pertinently untrue. Closest behind Trump are Florida senator Marco Rubio at 17 percent, Texas senator Ted Cruz at 16 percent, and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, also at 16 percent.
Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush still finds his support in single digits, polling at just 5 percent, while no other candidate tops 3 percent.
Support for Ben Carson’s bid to be the Republican presidential nominee has faded, according to a poll released Wednesday by Quinnipiac University. Four weeks ago, Carson was in a virtual tie with Trump.
Can the GOP really sink Donald Trump?
A month ago, Trump had 24 percent and Carson 23 percent, leading to speculation that the good doctor might knock Trump off his perch.
Last month’s terrorist attacks in Paris didn’t lead to the serious, sober political discussion that many people had hoped for, but they do appear to have given some Republican voters second thoughts about backing a candidate who concedes foreign policy isn’t his strong suit.
And while Trump was able to reclaim his status as sole GOP front-runner, the survey’s results also proved encouraging for Cruz and Rubio, who are picking up steam as the former “Apprentice” star’s main challengers.
The campaign arm for Senate Republicans is imagining a world in which Donald Trump is the party’s standard-bearer for the 2016 election, with a leaked memo noting, “Trump could win”.
The poll included 672 Republicans with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points and 573 Democrats with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.
Like Trump, Clinton has a reliability issue in the public’s eye; 60% of voters agree the former Secretary of State is not honest or trustworthy. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. Clinton has a slight, yet substantial lead over Trump – 47 percent to Trump’s 41 percent. Twenty nine percent of those who identify as “very” conservative choose Cruz, while Trump takes 25 percent, Carson 15 percent and Rubio 11 percent. When paired against the Donald, Hillary scores 47-44% over Trump and 45% to Marco Rubio’s 44%.
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Graham launched into an attack on Cruz and Trump right from the top of his remarks, not starting with the San Bernardino shootings the day before as most candidates did. Eight percent of Republican voters surveyed said they are undecided. Some 65 percent of those voters say they think they might change their minds before the primary vote.
