Poll Finds Republicans Cooling On Rand Paul After Announcement

Huffington Post ^ | 06/18/2015 | Ariel Edwards-Levy

[SoConPubbie]

Republicans would be happy to have any of the current six leading candidates as their nominee for president, a new HuffPost/YouGov poll finds, but their opinions of several of those politicians, mostly notably Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), have cooled somewhat in the past two months.

In April, about two-thirds of Republicans and independents who lean toward the Republican Party said they'd feel positively about nominating Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) or Paul. A smaller majority said they'd be happy with former neurosurgeon Ben Carson, while just 42 percent said the same of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.

Impressions of Paul, though, have become more muddled in the past two months. In the recent polling from June, just 43 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaners said they'd be enthusiastic or satisfied to have Paul as their nominee, down 23 points from April.

GOP candidates' ratings -- just like their numbers in horse race polls -- will likely continue to fluctuate in the months to come, as more Americans tune into the campaign and Republicans continue to acquaint themselves with an ever-expanding field of challengers.

[SoConPubbie]

"If we must have an enemy at the head of Government, let it be one whom we can oppose, and for whom we are not responsible, who will not involve our party in the disgrace of his foolish and bad measures." - Alexander Hamilton "We don't intend to turn the Republican Party over to the traitors in the battle just ended. We will have no more of those candidates who are pledged to the same goals as our opposition and who seek our support. Turning the Party over to the so-called moderates wouldn’t make any sense at all." -- President Ronald Reagan "A thing moderately good is not so good as it ought to be. Moderation in temper is always a virtue; but moderation in principle is always a vice." - Thomas Paine 1792 "It does not take a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men." - Samuel Adams "If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen." - Samuel Adams

[SoConPubbie]

    Ted Cruz Ping!

    If you want on/off this ping list, please let me know.
    Please beware, this is a high-volume ping list!

    CRUZ or LOSE!

[SoConPubbie]

Wonder why Huffington Post refused to poll Ted Cruz this time?

[Buffalo Head]

I met Rand Paul at a Lincoln Day Dinner this Spring and was extremely unimpressed. He is a scrawny little jerk who communicates from established talking points.

He was championing the cause to "reform" our justice system because it was obviously (to him but nobody else in attendance) that the disproportionate number of Blacks in prison "proved" his contention.

When asked if disproportionate number of males in prison proves gender discrimination, he got mad and refused to answer.

[RitaOK]

Opinions of Jeb have risen as Republicans may see that he is not the scary man eater and game changer he was made out to be. His halting speech delivery make him appear humbler than he was portrayed in that barrage of stories indicating that he was/is silently a heartless money vacuum who was cutting off all the funding of other candidates and who was probably assuming the sale way (for the nomination) to early. While that is all true, his personality has made him appear un-intimidating.

Jeb has proven to be tolerable now, in most polling, and I think that is the reason for his raised polling numbers.

I think however there is a chance Jeb will be thought boring when placed side by side with more personally talented competitors. In the same way Rand Paul has lost his initial glow of unique-ness among an increasingly interesting field, Jeb and Rand don’t look very intimidating. They may not even wear well. It’s a long campaign.

Rand Paul no longer corners the Republican market, as the unique and interesting candidate. Not now with Carson, and Cruz, and Walker coming in. Never mind Trumps-It.

I think Jeb will possibly put the party to sleep over time.

[JAKraig]

I met him several times when he was campaigning for Senate, he was very engaging and knew the score.

He isn’t my man in the presidential race but we could do worse.

I don’t think I could vote for another Bush. Don’t misunderstand me, George W was/is a fine man and a better president than any Democrat any day but he was a big spender and didn’t understand smaller government.

I think Walker understands those principles as well as anyone running.