Poll IDs New Republican Frontrunner In Race For 2016

A new Republican frontrunner has been named, according to a poll conducted by the Economist and YouGov — see report here.

Jeb Bush, the previous leader of the pack, has stumbled with his comments supporting the Iraq War and, most recently, his thoughts on how Americans should consider working longer hours.

Surprisingly, the new name at the top of the list is one familiar with saying controversial things as well. It’s none other than Donald Trump, whose thoughts on illegal immigrants have led to considerable backlash, particularly from the left side of the political spectrum.

However, it hasn’t hurt him among likely voters in the upcoming Republican primaries, the Hill notes. The crowded field sees Trump at the top with 15 percent support among respondents.

In second place, there was a tie between Rand Paul and Jeb Bush, each pulling 11 percent.

In third, there was a three-way tie with Scott Walker, Marco Rubio, and Mike Huckabee receiving 9 percent support.

The remaining 10 candidates went in this order: Ben Carson (7 percent); Chris Christie (6 percent); Ted Cruz (4 percent); Carly Fiorina and Rick Perry (3 percent each); Bobby Jindal, Rick Santorum, and John Kasich (2 percent each); Lindsey Graham (1 percent); and George Pataki (less than 1 percent).

Here’s an excerpt from the actual study.

“Trump looks even better as a candidate this week when Republicans are asked for their second choice. When they are, Trump extends his lead. One in four Republicans who are registered to vote say he is their first or second choice.

“But who are these Republicans? Trump’s statements on immigration may be striking a chord. Two-thirds of those who choose Trump first or second support the goals of the Tea Party, higher than the overall percentage of Republicans who do. They are much less likely to have a college education than are other Republicans, and they are more likely than other Republicans to say they are ‘very’ conservative.”

But even as the new Republican frontrunner, Donald Trump still has an uphill climb with the party as a whole. Respondents to the poll still believed that Jeb Bush had a 29 percent chance of capturing the nomination ahead of number two, Rand Paul, who had a 12 percent chance. Trump was fifth on this particular list with just 7 percent expecting him to get the vote.

But with his favorability rating on the rise (a three-week turnaround from 38 percent to 49 percent), his unfavorable rating on the decline (a three-week turn from 47 percent to 43 percent), and the surprising fact he’s still flying under the radar of high expectations, Trump seems to have things working to his advantage.

What do you think, readers? Will Donald Trump end the primaries as the Republican frontrunner, and would he make a good president? Sound off in the comments section.

[Image via Wikipedia Commons]