Sen. Marco Rubio saw a dramatic fall from the top in polls this week, dropping from first to fifth place among potential GOP presidential candidates—and the race hasn’t even started yet.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie instead topped the charts as the favorite possible Republican contender for the 2016 New Hampshire primary, according to a new Granite State WMUR-TV poll. In July, Christie’s numbers jumped a full 10 points since April, from 11% to 21% support. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul ranked in second with 16%, followed by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush with 10%, and Wisconsin’s Rep. Paul Ryan with 8%.Just 6% of Granite State voters said they supported Rubio, down nine points from April. The Florida Republican’s favorability also fell a full 18 points.”Marco is not an extremist, but he has been playing one on TV,” host Joe Scarborough said Thursday on Morning Joe. “This is not how you get elected president.”Rubio in June suggested Republicans–-including himself–-might not support the sweeping immigration reform bill unless further revisions were made. Rubio argued that provisions need to be tightened before GOP lawmakers will fully get on board with any deal about border security.”Even people who disagree with him could respect his leadership and his unique biography and perspective on this issue,” Nicolle Wallace, former senior adviser for the McCain–Palin campaign, said on the show. “What [voters] can’t tolerate is someone who takes a stand and then walks away from it.”Once again, former Sec. of State Hillary Clinton saw a dominating lead with 62% over Vice President Joe Biden’s 8%. Mass. Gov. Deval Patrick earned 5% among Democratic voters.
Michele Richinick