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Scott Walker Leads GOP in New National Poll

Scott Walker Leads GOP in New National Poll

Alone in first place…

We interrupt your regular programming about Jeb Bush and Donald Trump to bring you this report about the Republican nomination for 2016. Scott Walker now leads the field.

Jonathan Easley of The Hill:

Walker leads nationally in new poll

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker leads a tight field of candidates for the Republican presidential nomination, according to a new survey from Public Policy Polling.

Walker is alone in first place in the poll with 17 percent, followed by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush at 15 percent, Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.) at 13 percent, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson at 12 percent and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee at 11 percent.

That’s a big jump for Bush, who was at 11 percent support in the same poll last month.

However, Bush will begin his quest for the GOP nomination with a negative favorability rating among Republicans, according to the poll. Only 37 percent said they have a positive view of Bush, against 40 percent who have a negative view.

Bush is dragged down by those who identify as “very conservative,” with only 32 percent of those saying they have a positive view of Bush. Bush is the top choice among self-described “moderate” Republican primary voters.

Rubio stands out among the top tier of candidates for having the best favorability rating in the field. Fifty-nine percent of GOP primary voters said they have a positive view of Rubio, compared to only 16 percent who have a negative view.

Scott Walker has a few big advantages over some of his Republican competitors.

First, he’s a governor, which means he has executive experience. Second, he’s been vetted by the left in a baptism of fire like no other GOP candidate. Liberals have thrown everything they have at Walker and yet he continues to laugh from his throne of skulls.

Even the liberal outfit Politifact has been forced to dispel the left’s latest lies:

Group says Scott Walker bans employees from talking about climate change

If a website from a progressive group is to be believed, state workers in Wisconsin cannot even say the words “climate change.”…

Forecast the Facts said Walker runs a state government that bans “employees from talking about climate change.”

But the group could only name one obscure agency, outside of the governor’s jurisdiction, that has such a rule in place. The rule was aimed at barring its workers from doing climate-change work while on state time. And that rule is poised to be amended. Meanwhile, we found plenty of examples where state agencies were discussing climate change.

We rate the claim False.

You don’t say…

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Comments

Henry Hawkins | June 17, 2015 at 10:53 am

I’ve been wondering about the dirth of articles on LI about Walker, Cruz, or Perry. Thank you for this, Aleister.

pablo panadero | June 17, 2015 at 11:23 am

If I recall correctly, Scott Walker has not yet declared that he is running, which allows him to gather donations above the individual limits. I wonder how he is doing in getting money?

Even though he has been at a relatively low profile as of late, he has maintained and slightly grew his support, which means that Jeb’s rise in support has come from the expense of other candidates.

The wildcards are Carly and Trump. Trump will shoot himself in the foot (re: his past donations to Hillary) but may launch a bid as an independent ala Perot/92. How ironic it is that both Bill and Hillary are elected due to a 3rd party run. Carly, however, continues to impress all that see her speak and excels in television appearances. Remains to be seen whether she will gladly accept a lower role (VP or cabinet).

    platypus in reply to pablo panadero. | June 17, 2015 at 12:42 pm

    It can’t be “will shoot” if it’s about something that’s already happened. Unless you’re predicting that Trump will flub a ‘gotcha’ question on the subject.

“Jeb Bush at 15 percent…a big jump for Bush, who was at 11 percent support in the same poll last month.”

Ummm….

Nonsense. That’s not a “jump” at all. It could just be a tick in the stats.

If Carson and Huckabee would check their egos and get out of the way, maybe we could get on with the serious business of selecting a candidate.

So I like the idea of Carson, but don’t know all that much about him.

For example, what’s his stance on 2A?

I do know that he doesn’t believe in Catastrophic Anthropogenic Global Warming, which wins him big points in my book.

As with the last poll, the surprise for me is that Cruz isn’t pulling any support.

It would be interesting to know things like second-choice numbers — even 17% is a joke. First-choice polls work fine when there are two or three candidates, but that doesn’t tell us much about how this field will shake out as the “also rans” depart and their supporters look elsewhere.

“windbag | June 17, 2015 at 11:38 am
If Carson and Huckabee would check their egos and get out of the way, maybe we could get on with the serious business of selecting a candidate.”

You mean Carson and Huckabee and Santorum and Christie and Trump and Pataki and… there’s a long list after the dots.

“…he’s been vetted by the left in a baptism of fire like no other GOP candidate. Liberals have thrown everything they have at Walker and yet he continues…” Yawn. Conclusion, opinion, and garden variety political speak.

But here’s the thing … it’s all true. Republicans must be prepared with and not hesitate to publicize supporting details: events, dates, places, names, photos, videos; courageous Democrats scampering out of state to avoid voting on legislation; rioting unions vandalizing the WI capitol; teachers abandoning class; falsified recall election petition forms; WI state supreme court judge clown show; SWAT team raids; John Doe lawsuits; school system budget surpluses(!)…the list is endless. And that’s just Wisconsin.

Republicans should have at their fingertips as much of this supporting material as is possible, accessible at a moment’s notice, to be hauled out at every opportunity, every time, all the time for every event during the whole sorry, sordid, six years of this administration, for three congressional sessions, and for the entirety of Hillary Clinton’s presence on the public stage. Put them on the defensive. Never. Let. Up. Voters should see and hear these things in their sleep.

It must be a scorched earth campaign. Skip the political speak. And Republicans had damn well better be able to perform if they win.

    platypus in reply to Owego. | June 17, 2015 at 12:50 pm

    When all that BS was going on in Wisconsin, Tea Party Patriots organized a boots-on-the-ground door-to-door campaign team to work Wisconsin. Walker’s success is due in no small part to TPP volunteers who traveled to Wisconsin from all over the country on their own dime to campaign for him.

    I said at the time that the donkey party’s acting out would elevate Walker’s stature to the moon. Most thought he’d be lucky to simply win the elections.

    Just like the NYT making a big deal out of Rubio’s traffic record and his financial struggles is actually better than a campaign contribution.

MouseTheLuckyDog | June 17, 2015 at 12:53 pm

I like Walker, but only because of his fights in Wisc.

I don’t know much about his foreign policy, or his stance on social issues etc.

can someone clue me in?

Henry Hawkins | June 17, 2015 at 1:15 pm

He’s for them. See ‘Google’ for details.

Walker is my front runner. He’s lapped the other guys just with his Midwestern sensibilities.

I could see Carson or Fiorina as VP, but only if Carly renounces AGW and the Dreams from My Father Act.

Rubio and Cruz have Constitutional and legal grit like Trey Gowdy. Both could help Walker make things happen in the currently Boehnerized Congress.

    Eastwood Ravine in reply to jennifer a johnson. | June 17, 2015 at 2:27 pm

    If Walker is the eventual nominee, the Republican consultant class will be advocating for Marco Rubio to be the Vice Presidential nominee. They might be correct in that Walker/Rubio being one of the strongest ticket options. Texas is certai to fall in the Republican column on election night. With Rubio on the ticket, Florida goes from swing state to at least lean Republican. Walker would make Wisconsin and other upper Midwest swing states competitive.

    As an aside, I don’t think the Clintons will go with Julian Castro from Texas. They’re more likely to go with Cory Booker, or a former or current governor, as Hillary’s veep.

      quiksilverz24 in reply to Eastwood Ravine. | June 17, 2015 at 6:39 pm

      Get used to hearing and spelling Hickenlooper as Hillary’s VEEP. You heard it here first.

        JackRussellTerrierist in reply to quiksilverz24. | June 18, 2015 at 3:47 am

        Didn’t Hick just barely win his gub re-election last year? CO would be a plum for the ‘rats again, but lately purple CO has been tingeing a back to a little more red than the blue it was leaning in the first decade of the century, right?

        But I can see the Clinton strategy in choosing a western governor whose approval has risen slightly since that very tough race Beauprez gave him last year, or so I hear. The West has been hit hard by obamanomics. Putting one of their own on the ticket could help since Hillary knows she will not pull southern states. She is despised in the South, by and large.

        So, you may be right. But what is the scoop? Why do you say Hick is Hillary’s boy for VP?

    JackRussellTerrierist in reply to jennifer a johnson. | June 18, 2015 at 4:04 am

    I like Fiorina and Carson, but they’re squishy. Rubio is a chameleon. I don’t trust him. I want to see Cruz as AG or at SCOTUS. I hope to see Perry move up from the back field. He is the closest thing to Reagan there is in the array of candidates. Kasich knows how to handle the economy and he knows foreign policy which, for once, finally seems important to voters – probably because the subject is in prime time a lot due to Obama’s and Hillary’s stunningly gross mismanagement of it, at least from the American perspective. Heh. Rand and trump are just bomb throwers destined to flame out eventually.

    Walker in the lead is good. Bush on his heels is not. The big question is, where will the also ran’s supporters take their support when their guy fizzles? How does a good guy and proven winner and leader like Walker garner the support of these people when their candidates throw in the towel? How does Walker keep them from turning to Bush? Walker needs to be planning for that eventuality now, not scramble for a when it happens because the GOP will try to shove Jeb down our throats, and it’ll be 2008 and 2012 all over again, like a recurring nightmare from which we can’t awaken.

    I bet dollars to doughnuts Huck throws his support to Bush. Rubio might make it to the primary, but if he doesn’t, I’ll bet again that he throws his support to Bush. Santorum has a following. Where do they go? Walker is my guess.

    Walker/Perry or Perry/Walker.