Posted on 11/19/2015 10:11:38 AM PST by VinL
Ted Cruz is further cementing his spot in the top tier of the Republican presidential field after doubling his support among GOP voters since October, according to a new poll. Donald Trump maintains a steady lead over the Texas senator and the rest of his opponents.
The latest Public Policy Polling survey released Thursday shows Cruz at 14 percent support among the GOP electorate, putting him in third place behind Trump (26 percent) and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson (19 percent), and just ahead of Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (13 percent). Cruz, who ranks second in the Washington Examiner's presidential power rankings, stood at 7 percent when PPP surveyed Republican voters in early October.
Together, the four leading Republican candidates are dominating their party's presidential field. Of the 11 remaining GOP hopefuls, six are polling at or below 2 percent nationally. Only former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush reached 5 percent, with former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and businesswoman Carly Fiorina just behind him at 4 percent each.
Second-place Carson remains the most-liked candidate among GOP voters, but his favorability ratings have sharply declined since October. The soft-spoken doctor has seen an 10-point drop in the number of voters who view him favorably in just one month, though he maintains a net positive rating of 61-24 percent.
Earlier this week, just days after the terror attacks in Paris, France, retired CIA official Duane Clarridge cited frustrations with Carson's inability to grasp issues pertaining to international affairs and national security during briefings with him. Carson's campaign responded by dismissing Clarridge as someone who's simply "come in on a couple of [their] sessions," but would "be a stretch to call an advisor."
Meanwhile, Bush appears to be struggling with his attempt to reverse the direction of his floundering campaign. The establishment candidate is viewed favorably by just 22 percent of "very conservative" voters, with 58 percent viewing him unfavorably. He fares about the same among moderate GOP voters, earning a net-negative favorability rating of 23-52 percent.
Cruz and Rubio are virtually tied in their favorability ratings among GOP voters. Rubio has a net-positive rating of 55-25 percent while Cruz's is 55-26 percent. Roughly 20 percent of respondents were unsure about their feelings toward each senator.
The survey of 607 Republican primary voters was conducted between Nov. 16-17. Results contain a margin of error plus or minus 4 percent.
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