Donald Trump adds a new target: Ted Cruz

The jump in support for Cruz has come primarily at the expense of retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who has seen his support tumble to 13 percent from 32 percent.

Other experts that it’s not clear which survey had the better methodology. He got 17 percent in the new poll, placing him in second place, a statistical tie with Trump, who got 19 percent.

Mr. Cruz has been on the rise in polling in Iowa, and his appeal to evangelical Christian voters could propel him to a strong performance there.

Cruz said in a statement that the endorsement is “more evidence that our campaign has momentum and is gaining ground heading into the final weeks of the caucus”.

In turn, Cruz had been the only notable Republican candidate whom Trump has refused to insult at his rallies.

Pollsters say 61 percent of respondents said they are frustrated with the federal government, while 35 percent said they are angry and only three percent basically content. Of the Trump supporters, 52 percent were frustrated and 47 percent angry. The conflicting numbers show a GOP race in Iowa with two front-runners, Donald Trump and Ted Cruz. Likewise, Iowa’s likely caucusgoers are more likely to think that Sanders would do the most to help the middle class (50%) than to say Clinton would (43%), a question that split national Democrats nearly evenly (47% Clinton to 44% Sanders). Clinton also won against Cruz – 61 percent to 34 percent.

The margin of error for the sample of 431 Republican primary voters is 6 percentage points.

Most registered voters nationwide are paying attention to the presidential campaign and about two-thirds are at least somewhat enthusiastic about voting in 2016, but there is a partisan enthusiasm gap: Republican primary voters are more enthusiastic about voting than those who plan to vote in a Democratic primary. The next-highest candidate in the category was Bush, at 19 percent. Cruz has been one of the few presidential candidates to refuse to criticize Trump amid Trump’s multiple provocative comments and policy proposals.

Trump’s a loose cannon and a sour blend of contradictions whose implosion still seems inevitable, even if it hasn’t occurred as quickly as many predicted. His favorability rating fell from 84 percent to 64 in that span.

Bush and Paul were “underwater”, with 42 percent viewing Bush favorably and 42 percent unfavorably, and 34 percent viewing Paul favorably and 52 percent unfavorably. Instead, the senator says, he only needs evangelicals who didn’t vote for Mitt Romney to show up and support him.