Ted Cruz Leads Republican Candidates In Monmouth Poll

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A prominent Iowa evangelical leader has endorsed Ted Cruz for president, a coup for the Texas senator, who has heavily courted churches and pastors in an effort to win the state’s leadoff Republican caucuses.

Here are six takeaways from the two surveys.

Donald Trump has been making increasingly extreme remarks targeting minority groups since the start of his 2016 campaign, so it was disturbing but not really surprising when his campaign announced on Monday afternoon that he’s in favor of a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States”, including US citizens.

Cruz’s comments, however, did not break the détente between the two candidates now leading in Iowa polls.

It’s not hard to see why Trump would intentionally release a controversial policy proposal as soon as his poll numbers seemed to be suffering.

Cruz’s 24 percent in that poll is five points better than Trump’s 19 percent. Marco Rubio, the Florida Republican. “Over the course of a presidential election, voters are going to make a decision about every candidate and ultimately the decision is who has the right judgement, experience and judgement to serve as commander in chief”, he said.

Cruz leads among evangelicals and tea party supporters. Last month in Iowa, Cruz said he did not share Trump’s openness to a database of all Muslims now in the country.

According to The Washington Post, the debate, hosted by CNN, will reunite candidates who meet one of three criteria in polls conducted between October 29 and December 13 and recognized by CNN.

Trump remains somewhat vulnerable on social issues, where Carson (21%) is most trusted, but here, too, Trump has increased his support.

Cruz, who has been particularly reluctant to criticize the real estate mogul, told about 70 attendees he had much admiration and respect for Trump and Carson, but added that he doesn’t believe either will be elected president. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Friday, encouraging his presidential rival to attack him. He polled 2 percent in the CNN survey, statistically unchanged from the 3 percent he had last month, and was at 2 percent in the Monmouth poll, again statistically unchanged from 1 percent in October.

Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump, right, speaks with fellow Republican presidential candidate Sen. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley has 4%. 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).

While many feel Jeb Bush is “out of it”, Bush garnered 6% for fifth in the race, just ahead of Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, who has 4%.