Poll puts Jeb Bush in front of Republican presidential race
Second-tier contenders make biggest gains
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Hawke’s Bay
A new poll shows major changes in support among 13 contenders for the Republican presidential nomination in the US.
The Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll among Republican primary voters was conducted from June 14-18, when several confirmed their candidacies.
The voters were asked whether they could see themselves supporting any of the candidates.
The biggest changes were in support for some of the second-tier contenders. Mike Huckabee, Ben Carson and Carly Fiorina all gained significant ground.Ms Fiorina, a former chief executive of Hewlett-Packard, jumped from 17% in the April poll to 31% in June.
Mr Carson, a former pediatric neurosurgeon, and Mr.Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor, increased 11 and 13 percentage points, respectively.All three formally entered the race in early May, just after the April poll.
Support for the three leading candidates – Jeb Bush, Scott Walker and Marco Rubio – largely held firm,
Mr Bush, a former Florida governor, edged upward, with those who said they were open to his candidacy rising to 75% in June from 70% in April and 49% in March.This puts him one point ahead of Mr Rubio, a Florida senator, who was unchanged at 74% and up from 56% in March.
Mr Walker, the governor of Wisconsin, slipped slightly to 65%. Of the three, only Mr Walker hasn't yet declared his candidacy. His announcement is expected in mid-July.Property tycoon Donald Trump, who is the latest to confirm his candidacy, jumped nine percentage points, as did former Texas governor Rick Perry and former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum.
The bad news for Mr Trump is that two-out-of-three Republican primary voters say they won’t consider voting him after his high-profile campaign launch.New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is also well off the pace with a 36% rating against Mr Trump’s 32%. Mr.Christie is expected to announce his plans in the next few weeks.
Kentucky Senator Rand Paul had the biggest reversal in support, dropping to 49%, the same as his March rating but down from 59% in April.
Nevil Gibson
Mon, 22 Jun 2015
Mon, 22 Jun 2015
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Poll puts Jeb Bush in front of Republican presidential race
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