Posted on 12/02/2015 11:15:57 AM PST by Isara
Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio continue to surge in the polls. According to the latest national poll from Quinnipiac, Cruz has surged to third place with 16%. That's the highest score ever for the Republican senator from Texas.
Rubio too is doing better than ever before: he's now in second place with 17%. This means that Cruz and Rubio are effectively tied and both gunning for the important 20% threshold.
Ben Carson also polls 16%. This means he's tied with Cruz and virtually tied with Rubio. The difference, though, is that this is absolutely bad news for the retired neurosurgeon. Not too long ago, Carson was tied with Donald Trump for first place. While Rubio and Cruz are on their way up, the good doctor is now on his way down. The longer this downfall continues, the more likely it becomes that he may drop out before the Iowa caucuses even take place.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump continues to lead the field nationally. He is supported by 27% of Republican and Republican-leaning voters. Although that's certainly good news for the billionaire businessman, he too has reason to worry about the rise of Cruz and Rubio:
The main problem for Trump is that Cruz is surging among Tea Party voters, "very conservative" voters, and evangelicals. These are exactly the kind of voters a candidate needs to win in Iowa. Trump is still doing relatively well among these members of the conservative base, but his numbers aren't improving, whereas Cruz's are.
Remarkably, Trump's main supporters are Republican-leaning voters who call themselves moderates. 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. He's performing better among moderates than anyone else; Rubio and Jeb Bush (who many still consider the establishment's favorite) aren't even close.
The main challenge for Rubio will be to pick up a part of Trump's and Carson's moderates and "somewhat conservative" voters, while Cruz will have to gun for their very conservative, Tea Party and evangelical supporters. If both men succeed at that mission, they will pose a serious threat to Trump -- not only in Iowa, but in every other state as well.
Please click on the pictures at the top of the columns for more details on the ratings of the candidates.
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What is this 1% of TEA Party voting for Bush? They must be undercover agents.
Interesting observation - Trump is doing the best among moderate/liberal voters.
Yet, he’s the one pushing, by far, the most conservative, pro-American policies on immigration, border control, jobs, and trade.
Trump represents a chance to snooker “moderates” and liberals into delivering up a candidate who will give us what we want, for a change.
This is almost the exact opposite of what usually happens.
Rubio has a ceiling defined by the GOPe vote. I suspect Cruz and Trump will grind him to dust pretty soon.
-— Remarkably, Trump’s main supporters are Republican-leaning voters who call themselves moderates. -—
And Cruz is leading in Tea Party support.
Hola Trump supporters. Do not miss the warning signs.
I predicted this a while back. Rubio is gaining because the Bush/Pataki/Christie/Kasich people are all starting to coalesce behind him.
In the same way, Cruz is starting to pick up the Huckabee/Santorum/Jindal people, while he and Trump are splitting the Carson defectors.
Actually, Cruz is tied with Trump among Tea Partiers.
Moderate / Liberals support Trump (31%) over Cruz (3%).
Huh.
I’ve seen 2 FReepers today,say they would vote for Rubes
If it’s Trump and Cruz battling it out for the nomination while establishment candidates like Jebbie and Rubio race to to the bottom, it’s a major victory for all conservatives and certain death for the GOPe.
I love the tea party but let’s face it the influence isn’t what it use to me don’t get me wrong it’s still a force to be reckoned with but come on if it still ends all to beats Cruz would in 1st place easily am I right LS?
Trump or Cruz works for me. Both PITAs to the GOPeeeeeeeeeee! I wanna see McCornhole cryin with the tan man ...
I can imagine your excitement today;
OK, THIS is the time someone will believe the Cruz is the master of Free Markets, after all he has studied, debated them, and talked about them, for years.
Trump, on the other hand, has only lived them for a handful of decades, and his livelihood and wealth are only the result of his father’s money and his good fortune (spit). Only a fool would think he has more than a fuzzy inkling of how Free Markets work. (spit).
Thank God America is awakening.
Trump has been ringing the bell for a while now, and people are stirring.
“....”the most conservative, pro-American policies on immigration, border control, jobs, and trade”
Uh,no.
Yes, the TP is a tiny fraction of what it used to be. Some of that was after we elected “our” guys in 2010 a lot of people dropped out because they thought “Mission Accomplished.” When it wasn’t, they got disillusioned.
I cannot think of any one positive thing about Rubio, a puppet of billionaire Braman. Even his personal finances are a mess. However, he has been active in promoting amnesty.
Rubio was supposed to be Jeb’s VP pick but that’s not gonna happen so there hoping Rubio gets nomination and make Jeb or some equal Globalist to that effect.
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