"How stupid are the people of Iowa?"
Posted on 12/07/2015 9:54:00 AM PST by Isara
Sen. Ted Cruz has surged past Donald Trump in Iowa with less than two months to go before the nation's first nominating contest, giving Cruz his first lead in any early voting state during the campaign.
A Monmouth University poll said Cruz has 24 percent support among likely Republican caucus-goers in Iowa, a 14-point jump for the Texas senator since October.
Trump won 19 percent in the poll, giving Cruz a 5 percent lead that's outside the margin of error.
Much of Cruz's support stems from evangelical Iowans who back the conservative senator 30 percent to Trump's 18 percent. Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson previously led the GOP field in support among this coveted demographic, but now earns just 15 percent support among evangelicals, putting him behind Cruz, Trump, and Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. (16 percent).
Cruz also carries a substantial lead among voters affiliated with the Tea Party. The freshman senator earns 36 percent support compared to Trump (20 percent), Carson (17 percent) and Rubio (11 percent).
Cruz's rise can also be attributed, in part, to his recent endorsement from Iowa Rep. Steve King. Roughly 20 percent of Republicans in the Hawkeye State said King's support makes them more inclined to back Cruz come Feb. 1, including 7 percent who claim King's endorsement makes them "a lot more likely."
Rubio has met with some difficulties while trying to woo Tea Party supporters after his role in the 2013 Gang of Eight immigration bill, which proposed a 13-year pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants in the United States. While that bill damaged his reputation among the hard-line conservative movement, the Florida senator leads the GOP field among women in Iowa with 23 percent support.
That support helped keep Rubio in third place in the poll. He follows right behind Trump's 19 percent with 17 percent in the poll. Carson, who had a commanding lead in Iowa less than two months ago, has plummeted to 13 percent. At 6 percent support, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is the only other Republican contender to poll above 5 percent.
According to the poll, Rubio is the most-liked Republican candidate in Iowa, as 70 percent of voters hold a positive view of the Florida senator. Cruz and Carson each boast a net-positive favorability rating of 67-19 percent, while Trump is viewed favorably by 54 percent of voters and unfavorably by 36 percent. Bush, meanwhile, has a net-negative favorability rating of 38-45 percent.
The New-Jersey based survey of 425 likely Republican caucus-goers was conducted between Dec. 3-6 and contains a margin of error plus or minus 4.8 percent.
Cruz is following in the foot steps of Santorum & Huckabee.
Go Cruz!
Seriously?
It's still Trump's nomination to win or lose, but nothing is set in stone, there is nothing inevitable.
Fwiw, I've noticed Trump going after the bamster and the shrill one a lot lately, a sign he's consolidating and thinking the long view. IMHO it will be a done deal in about three months.
I’m starting to come around on him. I know for one thing that he is very, very, very smart. Not people smart, like “W”, not phony smart like “O”, or such a crook who care’s that she’s smart like Hillary, but really high IQ smart. I think if he picked Walker for veep he would be a lock.
Cruz is the type that does very well in Iowa- and no where else. The Evangelicals (Huckabee and Santorum) always gets Iowa only to lose New Hampshire. Most importantly, the delegates are actually picked by the Great Lake States and lower New England (New York and New Jersey mostly) not the religious south.
If Cruz wins Iowa (which he could given his organizational strength) the Establishment will get scared out of their minds- because the choice will be Trump or Cruz
The funniest thing will be watching the Bush supporters running towards Trump to keep out Cruz
Cruz's four block buster donors are not pro amnesty.
Yes, that Trump. The one who personally has a concealed carry, the one who calls a spade a spade.
I will go with him to get us out of this frightening mess.
All rich donors belong to chamber of commerce. I rest my case.
Candidates like Huckabee, Santorum, Michele Bachmann, Chris Dodd, even Linda Graham and Jindal, et al, have put a lot more in Iowa than Cruz has, with very mixed results.
Could you please post this some more. That is really helpful. Please post it at least twice in every thread. Thank you so much.
Agreed. It's the key to his solidly growing support.
Wow. A concealed carry permit. That’s all it takes to impress you???
Agreed. If the girl rumors about Rubio fizzle then he has a good shot at the nomination.
I expect Cruz will win Iowa - and nothing else.
Get back to me when you want to talk specifics. As I said Cruz's four big donors are not pro amnesty.
If winning is meaningless in Iowa, why is Trump competing in Iowa and wants to win in Iowa?
Don’t be ridiculous. Build the wall, put Americans back to work, and on and on.
Speaking of bean counting...I am at work. I count tax beans for a global company that has gotten quiet good at outsourcing.
"How stupid are the people of Iowa?"
/johnny
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