Mitch Perry
The Iowa caucuses are likely to be dominated by social conservatives, so nobody is expecting Jeb Bush to excel in the first presidential contest in 2016.
But seventh place?
That’s where he is in a new Quinnipiac survey released Wednesday morning.
Once again, neighboring Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin leads in Iowa: In this poll he garners 25 percent support. Trailing by double-digits and tied for second place are Marco Rubio and Rand Paul at 13 percent each. Ted Cruz is at 12 percent, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (who won Iowa in 2008) is at 11 percent. Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson is at 7 percent, and then comes Bush with 5 percent. No other candidate is above 3 percent, and 6 percent are undecided.
Bush does lead in one dubious metric: 25 percent of caucus goers say they would definitely not vote for him. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is next with 20 percent, followed by Paul at 10 percent.
The former Florida governor’s favorability rating is upside down in Iowa, with a negative 39-45 percent favorability rating. Another 45 percent say he’s not conservative enough.
Meanwhile, although he still trails in Iowa, Rubio continues to increase his numbers: Iowa likely Republican Caucus participants have a 69-9 percent favorable opinion of Rubio, the best score in the GOP field. The Florida senator’s positions on the issues are “about right,” 65 percent say, also the best in the field. He also scores high when asked whether he’s honest and trustworthy (72-13 percent), a strong leader (70-14 percent) and if he cares for voter needs and problems (72-15 percent).
Quinnipiac University surveyed 667 likely Iowa Republican Caucus participants between April 25 and May 4, with a margin of error of +/- 3.8 percentage points.
