Mitch Perry
Scott Walker has a double-digit lead over the rest of the Republican field in Iowa, according to a new poll. But Marco Rubio is ascendent.
Walker is at 23 percent support in a Public Policy Polling survey released Wednesday morning. Coming in second now is Rubio with 13 percent. Jeb Bush is next at 12 percent.
Mike Huckabee and Rand Paul are tied for forth with 10 percent support. Ted Cruz is at 8 percent, Ben Carson at 7 percent, Chris Christie at 5 percent, and Rick Perry has 4 percent support.
Rubio’s second place standing reflects his recent rise nationally. The Florida senator officially announced his candidacy for president in Miami on April 13, and his numbers have increased since then. Beyond coming in second, he’s also tied with Walker for being the most frequent second choice of voters at 13 percent. PPP says that “gives him a lot of room to grow if other candidates falter along the way.”
The big story here is Walker, who has been the governor of nearby Wisconsin since 2010. He’s getting the support of both establishment Republicans in the Hawkeye State and social conservatives.
Among voters who say being able to win in the general is their top priority, Walker gets 21 percent, barely edging out Rubio at 20 percent. Bush comes in next at 17 percent. But among voters who say conservatism is their top priority, Walker crushes the field, getting 29 percent support. Next best is Cruz at 14 percent, followed by Paul at 12 percent, and Huckabee at 10 percent.
On the Democratic primary side, Hillary Clinton continues to dominate, garnering 62 percent support. But Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is in double digits, getting 14 percent support. Martin O’Malley is next at 6 percent. Former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb is at 3 percent, and former Rhode Island Sen. Lincoln Chafee is at 2 percent.
Public Policy Polling surveyed 466 Democratic primary voters and 462 Republican primary voters April 23-26. The margins of error are +/- 4.5% for the Democratic sample, and +/- 4.6% for the Republican portion.
