Washington Special for News Talk Florida –-Remember when former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush was the frontrunner for the 2016 Presidential nomination? How about when Florida’s junior Senator Marco Rubio was a shining star who conservatives loved and who many thought could challenge his old pal Jeb for the party’s nomination. Well at least for now neither candidate is getting much buzz and they are slowly falling off of the GOP radar.
Look it is way too early to panic but there should be some serious concern in the Bush and Rubio camps. But they are
not the only ones who should be concerned after the latest FOX NEWS POLL was released on Sunday morning.
The poll shows three of the Republican establishment favorites — Jeb Bush, Scott Walker and Marco Rubio — are all losing ground in the party’s 2016 presidential field. Meanwhile, billionaire businessman Donald Trump tops the poll even after the first national debate and a trip to the Iowa State Fair.
Trump, continues to dominate the race, earning 25% support nationally, while another outsider, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, is running second at 12%. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, another firebrand politician who often fights with the GOP establishment is third at 10%.
Bush, the former Florida governor, has dropped to 9% — fourth place, down from 15% and second place in a Fox News poll conducted earlier this month, before the first GOP presidential debate.
The darling of many conservatives Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, is tied for fifth, at 6% — down from 9% earlier this month. And Rubio, who many pundits thought won the debate in Cleveland earlier this month took a big hit and is now polling at a meager 4% — in ninth place, and down from 5%.
If there was ever any doubts that the GOP wants to see a non politician being their nominee the FOX NEWS POLL sends a real strong message. It pays to be bold and those who try to play it safe may not be around long.
The trio of Trump, Carson and Cruz are tell it like it is guys who are not too keen on political correctness of any kind. They crush the Ronald Reagan 11th commandment “Thou shout not speak Ill of other GOP candidates.
In the new Fox News poll, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee tied with Walker for fifth at 6%. They’re followed by former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina at 5%, Ohio Gov. John Kasich at 4%, Rubio, and then New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who are both at 3% support.
To paraphrase the great Yogi Berra “For some GOP Presidential candidates. It is getting late early.”
The poll was conducted Aug. 11-13. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.