Perhaps it was the most recent debate, or the constant whining about filing suit against anyone who says anything unkind about him, but perennial GOP frontrunner Donald Trump has now fallen to second place in the latest NBC/Wall Street Journal national poll.
The poll shows Cruz is the choice of 28 percent of Republican primary voters, while Trump gets 26 percent. They’re followed by Marco Rubio at 17 percent, John Kasich at 11 percent, Ben Carson at 10 percent and Jeb Bush at 4 percent.
Republican pollster Bill McInturff said the 15 point swing, which has left Trump in second place, may be temporary, but that remains to be seen:
“When you see a number this different, it means you might be right on top of a shift in the campaign. What you don’t know yet is if the change is going to take place or if it is a momentary ‘pause’ before the numbers snap back into place.”
It’s important to note that this poll was taken after the South Carolina GOP debate, at which Trump was booed several times and many of the other Republicans came after him on numerous issues. McInturff also noted:
“So, one poll post-Saturday debate can only reflect there may have been a ‘pause’ as Republican voters take another look at Trump. This happened earlier this summer and he bounced back stronger. We will have to wait this time and see what voters decide.“
And a closer look inside of the poll also shows potential trouble for Trump: GOP primary voters who can see themselves supporting Trump has fallen by nine points, from 65 percent in January to 56 percent now.
In hypothetical face-to-face contests, Trump trails Cruz–56 percent to 40 percent–and Rubio–57 percent to 41 percent. In January, Trump was ahead of Rubio by seven points but lagged behind Cruz by eight points.
One reason for the sudden shift in the numbers may lie in an increase of “very conservative” Republican voters from January’s NBC/WSJ poll.
No matter how you cut these numbers, one thing is certain: the ground appears to be shifting under Trump and his loss is Cruz’s gain.
Featured Image Via Yahoo Finance
