Polls say Ted Cruz is gaining in Iowa, where two new ones show him reaching second place with around 20 percent of the vote. But the same polls suggest he has a big challenge: He has very little support outside of a growing base of self-described “very conservative” voters. “Very […] Read more »
Republicans May Face Three-Way Fight for Nomination
In a measure of the crosswinds buffeting the party, more Republican leaders are bracing for a uniquely fragmented nominating contest that divides the GOP among three viable candidates well into 2016. CONT. Ronald Brownstein, National Journal Read more »
The GOP’s identity-politics crisis: Holding race-card aces but loath to play them
… After years of deriding Democrats for dividing Americans into hyphenated subgroups, Republicans face a tantalizing and vexing prospect this year. With two sons of Cuban immigrants, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, joining a famed African American surgeon, Ben Carson, near the top of the polls, they have a unique […] Read more »
Fractured Establishment Looks to Challenge Donald Trump
At about this time four years ago, Republican voters began to set aside their interest in nontraditional candidates for president and consolidate behind Mitt Romney, the choice of the GOP establishment. Tentative signs suggest that the same thing could be happening this year. CONT. Dante Chinni, Wall Street Journal Read more »
Paris and the Presidential Election
The Paris attacks — as well as developments in Brussels, Egypt and Mali — may have improved Republican prospects in 2016. Daily surveys conducted by Reuters/Ispos ask voters to identify the “most important problem facing the United States today.” The accompanying chart covers the period from Nov. 7 to Nov. […] Read more »
Rubio and Cruz Now Vie With Carson for Best-Liked GOP Candidate
Long the GOP’s most popular presidential candidate, Ben Carson finds himself now sharing that coveted spot with two quickly ascending rivals: Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz. CONT. Andrew Dugan & Frank Newport, Gallup Read more »