Why the Fourth Most Popular Candidate in Iowa Is in First Place

Weekly Standard ^ | John McCormack | Jan 31, 2016

[Isara]

Des Moines - In the final Des Moines Register/Bloomberg poll, Donald Trump leads the field at 28 percent with Ted Cruz in second place at 23 percent and Marco Rubio in third at 15 percent.

What's remarkable is that Trump is leading despite fact that's he's a deeply polarizing figure among Republicans: Nearly half of likely caucusgoers (47 percent) view him unfavorably, while 50 percent view him favorably. Trump's +3 favorability rating is well behind the favorability ratings of Ben Carson (+50), Marco Rubio (+49), and Ted Cruz (+37). Polling analysts note this is highly unusual:

...

"It makes you scratch your head," J. Ann Selzer, the pollster who conducted the Des Moines Register survey, tells me. "The field is so big--that's part of it. You've got more popular candidates not getting the first-place vote."

The poll found that Trump would lose a two-man race against Cruz by 18 points--53 percent to 35 percent. Close to a majority of Iowa caucusgoers (48 percent) have become less comfortable with Trump winning the GOP nomination. And the largest percentage of caucusgoers (37 percent) said the nomination of Trump would be "not OK" with them. (Just 20 percent said the same of Cruz and 15 percent said the same of Rubio.)

...

[mtrott]

It now turns out Rubio also sent out a similar mailer. How many points will that cost him?

[dfwgator]

Who is Rubio?

[Neu Pragmatist]

Trump is not unpopular by any means ... he is also the only Republican that can win the must-win rust belt states ... nice try

[TimPatriot]

I believe he gave $250k to Clinton. Five times what was given to vets. He also owns strip clubs. Very moral

I don't know where this talking point came from, but Chris Wallace had it handy to play"gotcha!" With DJT on FNS this AM. Someone posted an article from 1985 that Trump donated 1 million to a vet cause back then. Keep the lies coming, if that's all you got.

[bigbob]

well after tomorrow Ted can swing by the Taj Majal for a beer to drown his sorrows in

[Charles Henrickson]

The man had the highest unfavorable rating since that was first recorded.

Nobody likes him. He's a nasty guy.

[null and void]

I'll be glad when the primaries are over, no matter who wins.

Me too.

Another 4 years before Hillary!^TM runs again...

[Oklahoma]

Where would Cruz be if Trump wasn’t in the way?

[Aria]

Yes. Cruz can’t even try that.

[Company Man]

The story of a flawed anti-hero saving the day only goes back Twenty-five hundred years or so.

[Neu Pragmatist]

Cruz would be at 10% tops, if Trump was isn’t the race ...Cruz rode Trump’s coat-tails all the way up, even adopting many of Trump’s positions after he saw how popular they are ..Cruz is a total globalist phony

[dforest]

Probably behind Rubio, Jeb, and Carson had Trump not taken them down.

Ted sure didn’t. He really needed the practice.

[glenduh]

“Simply click each policy or issue to read the back-story.”

FYI...Tried a couple. Social media goes to a de blasio link. Last one goes to bad blue home page.

[PLMerite]

"He also owns strip clubs. Very moral"

Just doin' his part.

[ROCKLOBSTER]

Who is Rubio?

He's the actual anchor baby.

[Bobalu]

The story of a flawed anti-hero saving the day only goes back Twenty-five hundred years or so.

[manc]

Good point.

[dem bums]

What if it wasn’t the Clintons that persuaded Trump to run but the moderate wing of the Republican party? The idea being to split the conservative vote.

That assumes that the moderate wing--or anyone else, for that matter--could have predicted that Trump would split the conservative vote. With his record, prior to running, that notion would have gotten you laughed out of most conservative circles.

[ROCKLOBSTER]

I'm not sure what the big deal is, we all know where and when he was born. His BC doesn't state his citizenship status.

Maybe he just doesn't want everyone seeing the part of the document that says CANADA!

[Aria]

What’s the big deal...other than he isn’t eligible to be POTUS?