Ted Cruz Surges Within Striking Distance of Donald Trump in National Poll

In another article by Yahoo Politics, the mogul branded Cruz as a “bit of a maniac” and does not have the “right temperament” to fulfill the role of president of the United States.

TRUMP: When you look at the way he has dealt with the Senate, where he goes in there like a – frankly, like a little bit of a maniac. “You never get things done that way”, he said. “He’ll never be able to get anything done, and that’s the problem with Ted”.

One of the cardinal rules of Ted Cruz’s campaign is that the candidate cannot insult Donald Trump, since he believes the key to securing the GOP nomination is snatching up Trump voters when the front-runner makes his presumably dramatic exit from the race.

These voters are “less likely to engage in the arduous Iowa caucus voting” and without their votes, Trump’s lead in recent general GOP polls disappears.

Cruz’s 31 percent showing in Iowa versus Trump’s 21 percent followed a December 7 Monmouth University poll that also put the Texas senator in the lead in the state.

While Rubio, Cruz and Trump are in a dead heat in the Political Prediction Market, Trump maintains a national lead in the polls.

The same can’t be said for the voters who describe themselves as part of the Republican establishment, which the poll recorded as 29 percent of the likely electorate.

But Carson is now in fourth at 11 percent (down 18 points) – and much of his support has transferred to Cruz. Cruz takes 52.3 percent in that scenario, compared with 32.6 percent for Trump.

Trump touted his ability to get along with liberals and conservatives and said that was the hallmark of the “world-class businessman” he is. “I’m sure it will end because, you know, he has got to come after me at some point”.

Tuesday’s GOP primary debate, airing on CNN from Las Vegas, will come hot on the heels of several Iowa polls that now have Sen.

Casting himself as the most knowledgeable candidate on policy issues, Rubio said that he would have acknowledged the fear people are feeling, pointed out that potential attackers are a real threat and the Islamic State group is “not the JV team”, as Obama had earlier suggested. “The Muslims can help us figure out the answer”, he said on Fox News Sunday. Dr. Ben Carson has 10 percent and no other candidate was above 5 percent.

He queried their fitness as “commander-in-chief” after the Paris and San Bernardino attacks, saying there was a “seriousness to this race”. Rick Santorum and former New York Gov. George Pataki.