On the heels of this week’s latest controversy in which he traded barbs with Sen. John McCain, Donald Trump is getting a huge green light from Republican voters.
According to an ABC/WashPo poll released yesterday, Trump has surged to an almost unbelievable lead among his GOP competitors nationally, sucking up much of the oxygen many of the lower tier candidates had hoped for.
The survey of likely primary voters showed 24 percent support for Trump as the GOP nominee, a number completely unprecedented for the field so far in the race.
In a veritable tie for second place were Scott Walker, 13, and Jeb Bush, 12, with Huckabee, Rubio, Carson, Paul, Cruz, Perry and Christie all below 10 points and declining.
The poll, however, was completed on the night that the controversy over Trump’s comments about McCain were breaking which means that any fall-out for their perceived slight against veterans would not have registered.
Whether Trump takes a major hit in the polls as a result may likely not matter much given his sizeable lead with only two weeks until the first Fox News debate.
A second poll, conducted by Monmouth University, shows Scott Walker with a 9-point lead in Iowa, following his recent announcement. (Walker is at 22 percent, with Trump in second at 13 percent.)
Much like the ABC/WashPo poll, the results may not reflect the latest news: Walker may get a bump in future polls (in contrast to Trump) after the news that he signed a ban on non-emergency abortions after 20 weeks.
With just over two weeks before the first debate, the two frontrunners are certainly Walker and Trump, but how long that will last remains to be seen.
