July 1, 2015
Walker Leads in Iowa, Carson in Second
Quinnipiac University released a poll of likely Republican voters in Iowa’s February 1st caucus. The poll shows Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker in the lead with 19% and neurosurgeon Ben Carson in second place with 14% of the vote. Such a lead is sure to empower Walker in his candidacy for the presidency. The governor has recently overtaken former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, the frontrunner in pre-campaign-announcement polls, in some national polls. Bush is at 8% in the poll.
Already, the Carson campaign has shown excitement with such a powerful showing in the poll, with campaign manager Barry Bennett saying that the poll proves that “voters are sick of establishment politics and want the outsider candidate.”
Other candidates, like former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, both of whom won the Iowa caucuses in 2008 and 2012, respectively, are polling lower than they would like. Relative newcomers to the Senate, such as Ted Cruz of Texas, Rand Paul of Kentucky, and Marco Rubio of Florida are polling at 13%, 10%, and 9%, respectively. The three campaigns have indicated that Iowa is a must-win. Bush, who seems to be focusing more on New Hampshire, is polling at 8%.
The results of the poll are as follows:
Scott Walker: 19%
Ben Carson: 14%
Ted Cruz: 13%
Rand Paul: 10%
Marco Rubio: 9%
Jeb Bush: 8%
Mike Huckabee: 5%
Rick Santorum: 4%
Carly Fiorina: 3%
Bobby Jindal: 3%
Chris Christie: 2%
John Kasich: 2%
Lindsey Graham: 1%
While polling this far out from the contest in February of next year does not paint a perfect picture of the final result, such a poll is sure to push the candidates to stand out in the first primary debate less than two months away. Rubio campaign manager Terry Sullivan said, “Senator Rubio is taking a lot of time to prepare for the debate, readying to counter any false accusations and to present his vision for a new American century.” The rest of the campaigns have released similar statements.
