Donald Trump makes gains among NH voters, poll finds

The second event was House Speaker Paul Ryan’s big speech that amounted to a delayed inaugural address. But it is especially unpredictable in a year where both party nominations are open; when one candidate (Clinton) is a prohibitive favorite nationally, even though she’s in a tight race regionally; and when the leading candidate of the other party, Trump, is a businessman without conventional political experience.

Cruz has a strong edge – 30 percent – among evangelicals, who make up about half of the electorate in Iowa, according to the Monmouth poll.

“I disagree with that proposal”.

“Oh listen, I like and respect Donald Trump”, Cruz said. “Certainly in the media there has been no shortage of criticism for Donald Trump”.

These days, Trump is pouring out so much xenophobia that a little bit of old-fashioned conservatism can seem positively refreshing.

The poll’s margin of error is plus/minus 4.9 percent, putting Christie, Bush, Kasich, Cruz, Fiorina and Carson in a statistical dead heat. Yet he refused to condemn Trump, and even praised his rival candidate saying “I like Donald Trump”.

The share of New Hampshire Republican voters naming this issue as their top concern has more than doubled following the terror attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, California, increasing from 21 percent in September and 19 percent in June. Today, he has a positive net favorability among GOP voters of 37 percent, according to the latest Quinnipiac poll, essentially tying him with Mike Huckabee for fourth among GOP contenders. “You don’t meet outrage and hatefulness with timidity”.

Cruz also said in a radio interview last week he would appoint Trump to build a wall along the border with Mexico, a key Trump talking point, were Cruz elected president. “The right solution I believe is the legislation that I’ve introduced”, Cruz said at the Capitol, as he outlined other bills to limit the immigration of Syrian refugees.

On Tuesday in Washington, with Gov. Greg Abbott at his side, Cruz passed on a chance to offer the outrage that Trump’s plan deserves. “It is not the best way to address this threat”.

Bringing up the rear in Iowa, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush stands at 6 percent and Sen.

Cruz also has an edge among voters who call themselves tea party supporters. And passionate reactions to Trump have the potential to garner more attention. Carson’s support plunged to 13 percent from the 32 percent he had in October. For each of them, the political calculus is different.

Some still believe Trump is a passing fad.

Despite Trump’s weak favorability numbers among general election voters, his following within the Republican Party is fiercely loyal.

When asked their preferences in head-to-head races, those polled this month have picked Clinton over Trump and Cruz. There have occasionally been candidates with some hold on public opinion and access to money who have nonetheless been unacceptable to party insiders, and those people have gone on to lose the primaries and caucuses.

Gov. Chris Christie has also notably held back from attacking Trump, whom he has described as a longtime friend.

“He says things over the top and people applaud”, Dole said of Trump.

“(And) to show how completely and totally unworkable it would be, King Abdullah of Jordan, a great friend and ally of ours, would presumably not be able to come to the United States”, McConnell said.