Posted on 12/13/2015 11:05:53 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
Billionaire Donald Trump is in first place in the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.
Trump now has the support of 27 percent of Republican primary voters, according to the poll, a portion of which was conducted after Trump called for a "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States."
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) moved into second place with 22 percent, gaining 12 points.
Cruz benefited from the fall of retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, pollsters say.
Carson dropped 18 points in the poll, released Sunday morning, falling to fourth place in the crowded GOP presidential field. Carson was atop the last NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll in late October though Trump has been first in other national polls since then Carson now is the first choice of 11 percent of GOP primary voters.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) has 15 percent support, up 4 percent, to hold the third spot in the new poll.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, with 7 percent support, and former HP chief executive Carly Fiorina, with 5 percent, round out the top six.
No other Republican candidate attracted more than 3 percent.
Trump's support rises to 30 percent against the four top Republican candidates, NBC noted.
The poll of 400 Republican primary voters, conducted Dec. 6-9, has a margin of error of 4.9 percent.
"... The support of Vander Plaats follows the endorsement of Rep. Steve King, one of the most prominent conservative politicians in Iowa, and conservative radio host Steve Deace. Iowa insiders say that trio of endorsements gives Cruz a powerful surge among social conservatives and evangelicals, a key group that Cruz is working to appeal to both in Iowa and nationally...."
Yeb! and Rubberio have 22 points between them. The GOP has its own low information voters.
Paul, Fiorina, Huckabee and Kasich need to bow out gracefully.
As soon as Bush and the other under 5 percenters drop off, watch Cruz take the lead. When Bush finally drops off, Cruz opens up a runaway lead. Trump has been benefiting by a wide field that splits the vote.
Cruz supporters are the conservative and Christian voters who are more likely to vote in primaries.
Hopefully, here on FR, Trump / Cruz arguments will fall into the same pattern as Ford / Chevy or even Apple / Microsoft.
Friendly, not threatening.
This is the natural order of things. Trump and Crux get more than fifty percent of the vote.
The Establishment is going bonkers!
Yes. I’ve read that Cruz supports are Iowans who have a proven track record of showing up on caucus night.
The Big Dawg has still got it.
It is dangerous to the health of any of The Donald’s rivals to make too strong a frontal attack. The Donald has gained not only the affection of a large portion of Republican primary voters, he is drawing support from people who have not bothered to even vote, sometimes for years, among that large body of unaffiliated citizens that make up “the middle”, and even more telling, he extends a certain degree of appeal to some of the demographic minorities that for years have tendered their support, however reluctantly, to the liberal Democrats, as they had never seen a Republican who came out and articulated what it is like to be proud to be American.
The Donald is not “conservative”, nor is he any kind of quintessential Republican. Both are flags that have flocked to him, in great numbers, to the degree that the Establishment Republican hierarchy has abandoned both any pretense of grass-roots conservativism, and much if any pride in simply being an American citizen.
Nothing was said above your comment to prompt your post.
Trump and Cruz (the top two among FR regulars) now have a combined 49% of the GOP vote. I consider that number far more important than the exact split between the two candidates.
Good observation.
Yes. Cruz or Trump or both are fine. Right now that prissy DemocRat Chris Wallace has a panel ripping up Trump. He has George Will and Carl Rove - virtual Democrats - and two card carrying Democrats.
Between Trump and Cruz to whom else can they turn to?
Me too.
Most will unfortunately go to Rubio. I think we are heading to a Trump-Cruz-Rubio final. This is a case where 2 against 1 is not helpful.
Rubio will get most of the GOP moderate vote and all of the GOPe support. Cruz and Trump will split the (thankfully much larger) conservative vote. It could be close unless either Cruz or Trump start to really pull away.
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