Which remaining GOP candidate best truly represents the base of the GOP today?

[Blue3]

Which remaining GOP candidate best truly represents the base of the GOP today?

Not who you think should win, or is most likely to win... which candidate is truly the best stand-in for the base of the Republican Party?

[EliteLX]

Cruz, by a longshot.

Trump's only true policy experience is money and quote "immigration reform". He has his base because he has some balls and truly does not give one flying tomato what anybody has to think about what he says. Absolutely riles up a quarter of the older GOP primary voters. As far as actual values and policy goes, Cruz represents the majority of the GOP base by far.

All the trump voters from the poll are Atlas dems, sorry. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Coolface Sock #42069]

It seems to me that Rubio is very near the ideological midpoint of all Republicans.

But for the most committed Republicans, I'm not sure. Perhaps Cruz, but the outlandish things he says continue to push me away (and I'm very conservative).

Not Trump. I have no reason to believe most Republicans want Muslims to have to carry special ID cards.

The amount of bigoted vitriol coming from prominent members of my party against Muslims lately has just been horrible, and I'm pretty embarrassed.

[TJ in Oregon]

Not Trump. I have no reason to believe most Republicans want Muslims to have to carry special ID cards.

The amount of bigoted vitriol coming from prominent members of my party against Muslims lately has just been horrible, and I'm pretty embarrassed.

I completely agree. This is one of those moments where I'd rather not see how the sausages are made. But we must deal with things as they are.

Also what's with the poisoned food analogies everyone seems to be using? One would think we're planning on eating the refugees or something.

[TheDeadFlagBlues]

Cruz, of course. The base of the Republican Party is hostile towards immigrants, incredibly hostile towards Muslims but it's not vulgar; the Republican Party is still largely the party of prim and proper small business owners, retired managerial-types etc.

[Mehmentum]

Cruz best represents the base.  Rubio is roughly in the middle of the GOP.  Trump's support doesn't come from the base, but a group of voters who have been more disaffected.

[Volrath50]

I've always thought of Ted Cruz as a sort of personification of the GOP base. Marco Rubio or maybe even Jeb Bush probably better represents the average Republican.