Scott Walker leads tight GOP pack in new Iowa Poll


In a new Des Moines Register/Bloomberg Politics Iowa Poll of likely Republican caucusgoers, Rand Paul is just a point behind. With Mitt Romney out, Mike Huckabee, Ben Carson and Jeb Bush round out the top tier. The Register

Jennifer Jacobs, jejacobs@dmreg.com1 a.m. CST February 1, 2015

Buy Photo
(Photo: Mark Marturello/Register Illustration)

Presidential stage newcomer Scott Walker, the conservative reform pit bull who inspired death threats from the left, has become the one to watch in the race for the Republican nomination a year out from the Iowa caucuses.

At 15 percentage points, he leads a big, tightly packed field of potential contenders in a new Des Moines Register/Bloomberg Politics Iowa Poll of likely Republican caucus goers. The caucuses are scheduled for Feb. 1, 2016.

The Wisconsin governor is also the No. 2 most popular choice for likely caucus goers who want an establishment candidate, and he's the No. 2 for those who want an anti-establishment candidate, the poll shows.

"He's in a sweet spot," pollster J. Ann Selzer said. "People who don't want an ultra-conservative think he's OK. People who don't want a moderate think he's OK."

Just one point behind is Rand Paul, a U.S. senator from Kentucky and the son of three-time presidential candidate Ron Paul, a hero to dissidents who want to shake up government.

Paul draws support from the same anti-establishment well.

Rounding out the top tier are Mitt Romney, the GOP's 2012 presidential nominee; Mike Huckabee, the 2008 winner of the Iowa caucuses; Ben Carson, a best-selling author and famed brain surgeon; and Jeb Bush, a relative to two past presidents.

RELATED IOWA POLL COVERAGE:



The day after polling wrapped up, Romney announced he's out of the competition. When the numbers in this poll are shuffled — by giving Romney's votes to the contenders his supporters named as their second-choice pick — the five others in the top tier gain support.

Huckabee, a former TV commentator and two-term Arkansas governor, benefits the most, picking up 3 percentage points.

The pecking order doesn't shift, though.

For the bottom tier, the horse race ranking shifts slightly without Romney in the mix. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie moves up a notch to tie with Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz for sixth place. Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania stays in eighth. Florida U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio climbs one spot into ninth, followed by former Texas Gov. Rick Perry.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is next, followed by a three-way tie among TV star and real estate developer Donald Trump, former computer company CEO Carly Fiorina and Ohio Gov.

John Kasich. Indiana Gov. Mike Pence doesn't register on poll respondents' radar.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/sto...pack/22659477/