Polls

Walker leads in Iowa, followed by Trump

By Nick Gass

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is still out in front of all Republican contenders in a new Monmouth University poll out Monday surveying likely Iowa GOP caucus-goers.

But in second place is Donald Trump, whose remarks on Arizona Sen. John McCain’s military service do not appear to have had a material effect on his standing in the Hawkeye State, or at least not yet. In fact, plurality of those surveyed (47 percent) said they have a favorable view of the multibillionaire candidate, while 35 percent said they do not.

Walker grabbed 22 percent, compared to Trump’s 13 percent. Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson received 8 percent, with former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz with 7 percent each. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who won the 2008 caucus, follows with 6 percent, with Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul at 5 percent, and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal at 4 percent.

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, who won the 2012 caucuses, grabbed 3 percent, as did former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and retired Hewlett Packard executive Carly Fiorina.

It should be noted that polling for this survey began last Thursday, two days before Trump’s statement that McCain “was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.”

Trump has stood by and intensified his remarks against the senator over the weekend and on Monday.

The poll was conducted July 16-19 via landlines and cellphones, surveying 452 likely Republican caucus-goers. The overall margin of error is plus or minus 4.6 percentage points.