Jeb Bush Lags Behind Republican Counterparts in Iowa: Poll
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is currently far behind the pack of declared or potential Republican presidential candidates in the Iowa Republican caucus, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll released on Wednesday.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is on top in the early going, emerging with 21 percent of the vote among likely participants. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul are tied for second place at 13 percent while Ted Cruz sits just behind at 12 percent. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who just announced his White House bid on Tuesday, is just shy of second place at 11 percent.
Bush finds himself in seventh place with only 5 percent, and in addition, 25 percent of likely participants in the key state of Iowa say they would "definitely not support" him in the upcoming election. Although Bush has not officially declared his candidacy for president, he said in December of last year that he would "actively explore" a presidential bid.
"The first few months of the Iowa Republican caucus race show Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker as the early leader. U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, on the strength of an impressive candidacy roll out, has moved from the bottom of the pack into a tie for second," Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac poll, said in a press release. "Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who has yet to formalize his candidacy while he amasses what most expect to be a massive fund-raising lead, runs seventh with just 5 percent of the vote."
Sen. Marco Rubio is viewed most favorably among likely caucus-goers and 65 percent say that his political views are "about right," which is also the best among his Republican counterparts.
The poll, which was carried out between April 25 and May 4, surveyed 667 people via land line and cell phone interviews.
Meanwhile, a New York Times/CBS poll released on Tuesday indicates that Rubio, Huckabee and Bush are now the top three Republican candidates among would-be Republican voters nationwide. Rubio sits at 48 percent while Huckabee and Bush trail at 47 percent and 46 percent respectively. Notably, Bush dropped from 53 percent in May while Rubio and Huckabee have found more support.
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