FIELD NIPPING AT DONALD’S HEELS
In a major shake-up of the GOP pack in New Hampshire, front-runner Donald Trump has lost nearly half his support while two longshots — Ohio Gov. John Kasich and businesswoman Carly Fiorina — have surged into the top five, a new Franklin Pierce University/Boston Herald poll reveals.
Trump still leads the field with 18 percent, but the poll of likely Republican primary voters shows his numbers quickly dropping — especially among women — right after his tirade against Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly. And more than 4 in 10 GOP voters say he doesn’t have the “temperament” to be president.
The Franklin Pierce/Herald poll has former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush running in second place at 13 percent, while Kasich now stands at 12 percent, launching him into serious contention in the Granite State.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is in fourth at 10 percent, and Fiorina, who has spent most of the campaign at the bottom of the pack, follows right behind at 9 percent, according to the poll of 414 likely GOP primary voters conducted Aug. 7-10.
Trump has led most national and New Hampshire polls in the last few weeks despite igniting a series of firestorms that have engulfed his campaign, including questioning U.S. Sen. John McCain’s war hero status.
But his incendiary comments about Kelly appear to be taking a toll among Granite State Republicans and independents. In the fourday polling sample, Trump’s numbers dropped more than 10 points the night after the roiling controversy and never recovered.
Trump is now viewed unfavorably by 55 percent of likely GOP women voters, compared to just 38 percent of men, suggesting a widening gender problem for Trump’s campaign.
Trump still retains a strong core of loyal backers who are sticking with him in New Hampshire, and a quarter of primary voters say they are “excited” about his campaign.
The poll also shows a number of better-known contenders still struggling to gain traction. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul garnered just 6 percent support, with 45 percent of voters viewing him unfavorably.
In another surprise, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has plummeted to just 4 percent, while Florida Sen. Marco Rubio also stands at 4 percent despite extremely high favorability ratings. Dr. Ben Carson is also at 4 percent. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is floundering at 3 percent.
A total of 52 percent of likely voters say they watched the debate. The poll also shows that New Hampshire voters are clearly engaged in the primary battle five months before the vote. Nearly 9 in 10 are paying very or somewhat close attention to the race.
The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percent and was conducted by RKM Research and Communications.