Cruz climbs, Fiorina crumbles

Watch out, Donald Trump — Ted Cruz is sneaking up on you.

Political experts in our weekly ranking of the Republican candidates have seen a gradual rise for the Texas senator, moving him from sixth place last week to fourth place this week. Many see Cruz as showing signs that he may last long into the Republican nominating contest.

Cruz’s ascent seems to come at the expense of Carly Fiorina, who topped our survey last month in the wake of her strong performance in the GOP debates but has slipped to fifth place.

“Ted Cruz is quietly putting himself in a really strong strategic position to challenge for the GOP nomination,” said Henry Barbour, a Republican strategist from Mississippi. “At some point, this likely comes down to Trump or Cruz vs. one of the more traditional GOP candidates.” Craig Robinson, editor of The

Iowa Republican, agreed: “Quarterly fundraising numbers are one of the few tangible metrics in politics. ... The third-quarter numbers tell us that Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Dr. Ben Carson are in the race for the long haul. Carson is already a top-tier candidate, Cruz is showing signs that he belongs there, too.”

Marco Rubio remains close to the top as well. “Rubio could have moved into first here, but his fundraising underwhelmed,” said Todd Spangler of the Detroit

Free Press.

Fiorina may have stalled. “Carly Fiorina does not seem to be able to take advantage of her recent rise from the last two debates. She seems stuck,” Democratic strategist Maria Cardona said.