Trump Thumps Rivals in NH

A new Public Policy Polling survey in New Hampshire shows real estate mogul Donald Trump in a clear lead against all other Republican presidential candidates, putting him “in the strongest position of any poll we’ve done anywhere since he entered the race,” according to PPP.

Trump received the support of 35 percent of those polled, more than triple that of runner-up Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who came in at 11 percent, and five times the 7 percent eked out by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.

The businessman Tuesday night showed why he has become so popular with many Republicans, turning heads and rattling the status quo during a freewheeling press conference in Dubuque, Iowa, in which he said bluntly to assembled reporters, “It takes courage to run. You’re exposing yourself like crazy.”

He also told an outspoken reporter who kept interrupting him to “go back to Univision.” The reporter, Jorge Ramos, was escorted out of the room by security only to return later and engage vigorously with Trump about his immigration positions, including birthright citizenship and deporting illegal immigrants.

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Perhaps reflecting her strong performance in the undercard debate on Aug. 6, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina came in third at 10 percent in the PPP poll. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker received 7 percent and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson nabbed 6 percent. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida all garnered 4 percent from those survey, while Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky grabbed 3 percent.

With these new numbers, it seems that Trump’s repeated attacks on Jeb Bush — and Trump’s refusal to back away from his tough positions on immigration — may be working.

Only 38 percent of primary voters surveyed have a favorable opinion of Bush, compared to 41 percent with a negative opinion.

“This is largely a function of his (Jeb Bush’s) unpopularity with conservatives — among voters who identify themselves as ‘very conservative,’ just 34 percent have a positive opinion of him compared to 48 percent who have a negative one,” PPP reported. “Only 3 percent say he’s their first choice for the nomination, putting him in a tie for 8th place with that group.”

Kasich may be lagging behind Trump, but his numbers are moving northward.

Kasich may be lagging behind Trump, but the governor’s numbers are moving northward.

“Kasich is on the move because of his strength with moderate voters,” PPP noted. “He gets 20 percent with them, putting him second to Trump, and making up for his own trouble on the right — he gets just 1 percent with ‘very conservative’ voters. Moderates are 29 percent of the GOP electorate on this poll, a lot more than in most places.”

What about the “likeability” of the Republican field?

“New Hampshire makes another state where Ben Carson is the most well liked Republican, with 62 percent rating him favorably to 17 percent who have a negative opinion,” PPP reported.

Fiorina is not far behind, at 58 percent favorability, and 19 percent who have a negative opinion of her.

The only other Republican seen positively by a majority of primary voters surveyed – after Trump, Carson and Fiorina — is Rubio, at 50 percent favorable to 27 percent unfavorable.

The big story in the New Hampshire numbers for Democrats is how universally popular Sanders has become with that party’s voters.

On the Democratic side, there’s been a big shift since April.

Sen. Bernie Sanders of neighboring Vermont now leads the field in the state with the support of 42 percent of voters, compared to 35 percent for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, 6 percent for former Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia, 4 percent for former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, and 2 percent for former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee.

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The big story in the New Hampshire numbers for Democrats is how universally popular Sanders has become with that party’s voters. Seventy-eight percent see him favorably, compared to only 12 percent with a negative opinion, making him easily the most popular candidate on either side.

PPP’s polling shows Clinton’s favorability numbers remain high with Democratic voters despite controversy over her use of a private email server as secretary of state. She was also viewed favorably by 78 percent, with only 10 percent expressing a negative opinion.