Jenna Buzzacco-Foerster
Donald Trump continues to be the top choice for Iowa Republicans.
According to a Public Policy Polling survey released Thursday, Trump leads Ted Cruz, 31 percent to 23 percent. The poll has Marco Rubio in third place with 14 percent, followed by Ben Carson at 9 percent.
Jeb Bush, Mike Huckabee, and Rand Paul are all tied with 4 percent, according to the survey. Huckabee won the Iowa caucuses in 2008.
The results aren’t substantially different from two weeks ago, when Trump led Cruz 28 percent to 23 percent, and may just solidify the New York businessman’s standings leading into the Iowa caucuses.
“Donald Trump’s the clear leader in Iowa at this point,” said Dean Debnam, president of Public Policy Polling, in a statement. “The big question is whether enough supporters of the also-rans will move to Ted Cruz and/or Marco Rubio to allow them to exceed expectations on election night.”
The survey found 31 percent of respondents said there was a possibility they could change their mind before Monday night’s caucus.
While Trump leads the pack, he doesn’t do as well in a hypothetical match-up between him and Cruz. When asked who voters would pick between the two, 47 percent picked Cruz, while 40 percent said Trump.
Fifty-six percent of Iowans polled said they had a favorable view of Cruz, compared to 50 percent who had a favorable opinion of Trump. Bush was among the least likable candidates, with 48 percent of people saying they had an unfavorable opinion of him.
Public Policy Polling surveyed 780 likely Republican caucus goers on Jan. 26 and Jan. 27. The survey has a margin of error of 3.5 percent.
