As Ted Cruz shows his softer side, he surges in the Quinnipiac Poll

Examiner ^ | December 22, 2015 | Mark Whittington

[Redbob]

"Doing the latter would increase the likelihood Hillary wouldn't be able to keep up the pace for the duration of the campaign."

Yeah, she might be taking a pottie break at some crucial point...

[St_Thomas_Aquinas]

The polls show Cruz outperforming Trump when matched up against Hillary.

A serious, even-tempered, rational and articulate man has great appeal to moderates.

[digger48]

They look a lot like my 2 granddaughters. In that pic, the one on his lap is a spittin’ image of my Jocie

[Jeff Head]

Well, here's my latest average polls for the GOP Presidential race.

I have been taking the top four polls each week and averaging them. Here are this week's polls:

And here is what the trend lines look like by candidate over the entire time:

Those number speak for themselves.

I then compare my averages and trend lines to Real Clear Politics who also does averaging of the major polls...but they use more. Here's how their numbers look:

Tracking very close.

Trump continues to rise...but Cruz is rising too. In my averages, the two of them now have just under 51% of the polling. Real Clear Politics has them even higher at 51.6%.

Carson has dropped off to 9%, Rubio is around 10%. This means the top four are polling 70% of the polling data now.

Everyone else is polling at 4.5% or less.

Right now it is a two man horse race, with Trump well out in front, but Cruz continuing to rise.

IMHO, they should only allow the top four on the main stage in the future debates.

[SaxxonWoods]

I’d be fine with you being right, but I think the Q poll is off.

We’ll see. Just reviewed all the state polls as well.

Trump and Cruz are the only ones moving up. Cruz only leads in Iowa, Trump leads in the rest, and with big leads in most.

Cruz is the only one with a shot, so that’s good.

[DesertRhino]

“The polls show Cruz outperforming Trump when matched up against Hillary.”

Anyone who has the slightest inclination to vote for Hillary, will -never- vote for Cruz. I like him, but he has been cast as the personal face of extremist conservatism, to the point that they have positioned him to the right of everything GOP which they already hate.
Blacks will avoid him and blue collar will avoid him.

Trump will grab many of both. That said, I think Trumps big weakness is that conservative whiners will stay home. Trump stands to actually grab Reagan democrats, and lose hard core conservatives.

[roamer_1]

[...] can any of my fellow Cruz admirers tell me HOW Cruz can expand his appeal to traditional ‘RAT blue state voters, i.e., the old ‘Reagan Democrats’?

Sorry to burst that bubble, but by and large, 'Reagan Democrats' are known today as the Christian Right.

No question Ted Cruz will have a lock on the South and the Western states, but how does he emulate Trump who would be very likely to carry New York State (a ‘RAT stronghold) and northern post-industrial areas like Michigan?

Barring the cities, Michigan isn't much different than the rural midwest... though cripplecreek could probably answer you better than I can.

Cruz will have trouble in the northeast, no doubt. But blue collar everywhere is hurting, and sick of it. Obama's economy may well guarantee the whole shootin' match.

But that means actually offering them something different - Conservatism works every time it's tried.

[catfish1957]

NY, New England, and the left coast are lost causes. Trump and /or Cruz can still win without them.

[DesertRhino]

“Conservatism works every time it’s tried. “

It does. But not when “conservatism” is actually globalism as in TPP. Cruz blew it on fast track and it’s going to haunt him. And I don’t trust him to build a wall and deport for the same reason.
Open borders is the needed flipside to so called “free trade”. This is why Bush and every republican in the last 2 decades has been a rabid open borders type.

[Vigilanteman]

I have two as well. Just as cute, but a little darker.

[cripplecreek]

The Reagan democrats are already republicans.



My middle age and older union neighbors are the Reagan democrats and aren't bringing anything new to the table. The younger ones are fully invested marxists.

After the fight we put up to break the union hold in Michigan, I'm not about to encourage anyone to pander to them and give them renewed hope.

[Vigilanteman]

Nice chart. What you suggest is logical. There is a HUGE gap between the top four and the rest of the pack.

[Vision Thing]

Not bold colors, but pale pastels.

[roamer_1]

It does. But not when “conservatism” is actually globalism as in TPP. Cruz blew it on fast track and it’s going to haunt him.

Mostly propaganda. I'm *for* fast track authority, and I'm a hard-core Fair Trade guy all the way back to Duncan Hunter... Even leaning toward Buchanan's isolationism. Fast track is just a trade framework. And it's been in place for a long, long time.

If you've got a bitch about trade, it still falls upon Congress, who still must approve every treaty (including fast track treaties).

And I don’t trust him to build a wall and deport for the same reason.

Nobody's gonna build a wall, to include trump. WAY too expensive, no more effective, and a fairy tale. But cruz, unlike trump, is a law and order guy by his very nature. And his record is consistent with regard to immigration. No one is wondering about his position on the border - he's all for a fence, and enforcement. What throws people is that he doesn't seem to be very firm with regard to those who are left (legalization/amnesty) - I don't think that's true, but that's where people wig out. Cruz will enforce the law. Cruz will abide by the Constitution. It's who he is.

[roamer_1]

The Reagan democrats are already republicans.

Yep, as I said, by and large, the Christian Right... The Christians used to be democrats. Reagan rightly made room for them at the Conservative table, largely wooing them with the Pro-life plank in the face of democrat commitment to feminism and abortion...

That is the basis of the Reagan Coalition, and the Southern Strategy.

[Gator113]

That is such an ugly family.

[CatherineofAragon]

Go buy a sense of humor.

[Theodore R.]

Cruz might catch on; time will tell. So many of our primary voters are so uninformed that I am surprised they are not backing Jebbie.

[Theodore R.]

That MI map is truly amazing. The margins in the red counties are presumably too small to overcome the popular blue areas.

[newfreep]

Good grief, is that their official holiday card?