Poll: Walker drops, Trump rises in Iowa
Poll: Walker drops, Trump rises in Iowa
By Jennifer Jacobs 5 hours ago
Donald Trump is the strong front-runner in a new CNN/ORC poll, displacing the longtime leader in the GOP race in Iowa, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, whose numbers have seen a dramatic decline.
Despite all the criticism heaped on Trump, the armor-plated reality TV star claims 22% support from Iowans who say they plan to vote in the Republican caucuses on Feb. 1.
Likely GOP caucus goers believe Trump would be the best in the Republican field to handle the economy, illegal immigration and terrorism, the poll shows.
https://usatelections.files.wordpres...pg?w=465&h=320Donald Trump (Scott Olson, Getty Images)
The survey, taken Aug. 7-11, found retired brain surgeon Ben Carson in second place with 14%.
Walker, a former Iowan, gets 9%, hovering with the middle-of-the-pack crowd: Ted Cruz, 8%; Carly Fiorina, 7%; Mike Huckabee, 7%; and 5% for the three-way tie of Jeb Bush, Rand Paul and Marco Rubio.
But caucus goers’ opinions are still very fluid, the poll found. Just 15% say they’ve definitely decided; 66% say they’re still trying to decide, the survey found.
The shift is most striking for Walker. He has been the consistent Iowa front-runner since January, although his numbers has been gradually dropping since his high-water mark of 25% in February.
Another recent survey, conducted Aug. 7-10 by Suffolk University, had him at 12% among Iowa likely caucus goers.
“Although 11 percent see him as the most electable in the field, he hasn’t impressed on the issues,” CNN reported. “Walker falls below 10 percent on each issue tested, with his best showing the 8 percent who think he would best handle the economy.”
The poll of 544 likely Republican caucus goers has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
CNN/ORC also surveyed Iowa Democratic likely caucus goers. Hillary Clinton remains the frontrunner with 50%. Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders is 19 points behind her, with 31%.
Vice President Biden, who hasn’t said whether he’ll pursue a 2016 presidential bid, claims 12%.
The other Democratic presidential candidates are at 1% or less, according to the poll, which has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.
http://onpolitics.usatoday.com/2015/...rises-in-iowa/
