Trump still leads in GOP race, polls say
Bush, Walker second, third in primary field
After a week of attacks over his criticism of John McCain, Donald Trump continues to lead the Republican presidential field, a new CNN/ORC poll says.
Trump, at 18% among Republican and GOP-leaning voters, leads Jeb Bush at 15% and Scott Walker at 10%, the survey says.
The many other Republican candidates are in single digits.
“Trump’s backing has climbed 6 points since a late June poll, while support for Bush and Walker has not changed significantly,” CNN reported.
Two NBC News-Marist polls show Trump doing well in the early contest states of Iowa and New Hampshire.
The billionaire leads in New Hampshire at 21%, followed by Bush at 14% and Walker at 12%.
Walker, the governor of Wisconsin, leads in neighboring Iowa at 19%, followed by Trump at 17% and Bush at 12%, according to the NBC-Marist survey.
According to NBC News, “the polls were conducted July 14-21 — so before and after Trump’s controversial comments belittling John McCain’s war record on July 18. And they suggest the comments didn’t affect Trump in Iowa (he was at 16% before the comments and 18% after), but they did hurt him in New Hampshire (26% before, 14% after).”
On CNN’s State of the Union Sunday, Trump said voters are simply tired of ineffectual politicians. “This is more than me,” Trump said. “This is a movement going on. People are tired of these incompetent politicians in Washington that can’t get anything done. They can’t make deals. They can’t do anything.”
Despite his momentum, most Republicans do not see Trump winning the Republican nomination next year — 31% expect Bush to be the nominee, and 22% say Trump will be. Fourteen percent predict a Walker nomination.
CNN reported its poll was done after Trump “earned rebukes from Republican leaders over his comments about Sen. John McCain’s military service.”