Trump Vs. Cruz Leads Headlines Ahead Of Final GOP Debate Of 2015

His support was up from 28 percent in October.

With 50 days to go before the heartland U.S. state casts the first votes in the nominations process, Trump, Cruz and seven other candidates will go toe to toe in Las Vegas in the final Republican presidential debate of the year. That represents a 13-point surge for Trump since the mid-October poll, while Cruz saw just a four-point jump. Marco Rubio and Cruz to wrestle over policy-heavy questions on immigration and national security as Rubio tries to elbow into the pool of potential heirs to Trump and Carson’s support bases.

A week after proposing to ban all Muslims from entering the United States, Donald Trump has reached new heights in the polls.

And cringe they have. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, suddenly ahead of Trump in the Hawkeye state, wants to justify the hopes of those who see him as the most authentic conservative in the race.

The rest of the Republican field barely registers in the poll, with former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Ohio Gov. John Kasich taking 3 percent support each, and New Jersey Gov. The survey, released over the weekend, shows Cruz is number one with 31% support from Iowa GOP caucus goers, up from 21 points. “You simply can’t pigeonhole his supporters as representing one or two particular factions of the party”.

Trump and Cruz have been getting along for months, and that has protected the senator from the harsh criticism the businessman has flung against other opponents.

However, since the release of an audio tape where a person identified as Cruz is heard knocking Trump at a fund-raising dinner, the two have been ramping up the rhetoric via social media.

Carson, meanwhile, has been losing steam, dropping from 11% in the pre-Thanksgiving polls to 6% in the polling conducted more recently.

This compares to the results of a November 24 survey by the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University showing Trump at 25 percent, with 23 percent for Cruz, 18 percent for Carson and 13 percent for Rubio. I mean, this is akin to saying, ‘I’m the guy who can cross the aisle and work with the other side.’ That hasn’t been the way Trump has come off up ’til now. “When you look at the way he’s dealt with the Senate, where he goes in there like … you know, frankly, like a bit of a maniac”.

Almost half of all evangelical Christians and about 39 percent of Tea Party conservatives named Cruz their pick when polled, perhaps spurred on by crucial endorsements by the likes of Bob Vander Plaats.

“I would say I have far better judgment than Ted, and I think I have really great temperament”.

The Iowa caucus is set for February 1; New Hampshire’s primary February 9.

Donald Trump appears on stage at the CNN Republican Presidential Debate in Simi Valley, California on September 16, 2015.