Posted on 03/06/2015 6:43:45 AM PST by Kaslin
South Carolina Republicans give further evidence that the campaign for the 2016 GOP nomination for president is stabilized into a horse race between the governor of Wisconsin and former Florida governor John E. Jeb Bush, according the Feb. 24-25 Townhall/Gravis poll of 792 Republican voters.
With Bush at 19 percent and Badger State Gov. Scott K. Walker at 17 percent, the two men are in a virtual tie, said Doug Kaplan, the managing director of Gravis Insights, the Florida-based firm that conducted the poll. The poll carries a 3 percent margin of error.
The surprise in the poll was the performance of the favorite son candidate, Sen. Lindsey O Graham, who was the choice of 12 percent of Republicans, Kaplan said. Graham's ranking was third, but behind the 16 percent of undecided respondents.
We are not seeing Graham gain traction in any of our other polls, he said. What we are seeing is Walker and Bush, neck-and-neck in the front, followed by the rest of the pack.
The the results for the other GOP candidates: Michael Huckabee, 10 percent; New Jersey Gov. Christopher J. Christie, 8 percent; Florida Sen. Marco A. Rubio, 6 percent; Kentucky Sen. Randal H. Rand Paul, 6 percent; followed by three candidates each at 2 percent: Texas Sen. R. Edward Cruz, Richard J. Santorum and Carly Fiorino.
The Iowa Caucuses and the New Hampshire Primary are the two important tests of a candidate's ability to connect with individual voters before the primaries map expands. After those two contests, for Republicans, the South Carolina Primary acts as a firewall to protect the party from selecting a non-conservative.
Delving into the details of the poll, it is hard to find places, where Walker or Bush have a distinct advantage.
Bush is the choice of 36 percent of Hispanic South Carolina Republicans compared to Walker's 18 percent support. Among black Republicans, Bush has 27 percent compared to Walker's 7 percent.
Walker hold a 2 to 1 lead over Bush among Republicans with post-graduate degrees, 27 percent to 13 percent. But, Bush is the choice of high school graduates 24 percent to 8 percent.
Broken down by religion, Bush is the choice of both Catholic and Evangelical Christians with 29 percent and 25 percent, respectively. Walker has the support of 23 percent of Catholics and 18 percent of Evangelical Christians.
Among Catholics, Rubio comes in third with 15 percent of support and among Evangelical Christians, Huckabee is the choice of 19 percent.
But isn’t Walker Bush ineligible under the 22nd amendment?
What makes you think so?
Just want to inform FReepers in other States that not all Constitutional conservatives in South Carolina (who sometimes, even usually, vote for Republicans) readily identify themselves as Republican Party devotees. There aren’t enough of us to make a clear-cut difference at the polls.
Sad but true. Take Lindsey Graham out of the equation and you probably have Bush with an early polling lead. SC is really no longer conservative.
Mizz Lindsey's only intention in running is to make sure the conservative doesn't win...
Of course - Bush is a RINO sugar daddy.
BUSH= ‘Kiss of death’
Two white guys, one of whom has NO business in the WH
Voters will NOT buy it.
Big mistake for Walker
1. No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once. But this Article shall not apply to any person holding the office of President, when this Article was proposed by the Congress, and shall not prevent any person who may be holding the office of President, or acting as President, during the term within which this Article becomes operative from holding the office of President or acting as President during the remainder of such term.
First of all the the amendment does not say anything about governors being illegible for the presidency or relatives of the candidate having been presidents for two terms each
I expect the ignorance about the Constitution from socalled "progressives", but not from conservatives
And why not?
BTW Just to make it clear. I have no plan to vote for Jeb Bush
You obviously didn’t get my joke.
And why not?
I’m OK with Walker... but Jeb?
NOT.
Walker will be spoiling his chances with Jeb on the ticket with him
You really need to change your freeper name
That was a joke? Wow hit me with a feather
This South Carolina resident will never vote for Jeb Bush. Nor did he cast a vote for Graham in 14.
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