Donald Trump still leads
the Republican field in the wake of last week’s debate, while Carly Fiorina has
jumped up into second place and Ben Carson and Marco Rubio are in double
digits, according to a new poll from CNN.
A newly scrambled Republican race also emerges
as both Trump and Carson face criticism for their comments about Muslims.
Trump, who has topped a series of GOP polls for weeks,
has 24% in the
latest CNN/ORC survey,
followed by Fiorina at 15%, Carson at 14% and Rubio at 11%.
Poll respondents deemed Fiorina the winner of last
week’s CNN-sponsored debate at the Ronald Reagan presidential library at Simi
Valley, Calif., an event that appears to have boosted the businesswoman’s
campaign.
Trump, who appeared on a series of Sunday shows, has been
above 30% in some polls, and believes that the recent debate boosted his
standing.
“We’ll see what happens,” Trump told ABC’s This Week.
Jeb Bush, the son and brother of former presidents,
finished fifth in the current poll at 9%, followed by Ted Cruz (6%), Mike
Huckabee (6%), Rand Paul (4%), Chris Christie (3%), John Kasich (2%) and
Rick Santorum (1%).
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, once seen as a major force
in the Republican race, polled less than 1% in the CNN survey.
Fiorina, meanwhile, picked up 12 percentage points since
a CNN poll earlier this month; Trump lost eight points.
Appearing on Fox News Sunday, Fiorina said the debate helped
introduce her to more voters, and that she plans to try and capitalize on the
her momentum in the weeks ahead.
“It’s obviously a very important moment,” Fiorina said.
That includes questions about her dismissal as CEO
at Hewlett-Packard, a development she attributed to problems in the overall
economy and boardroom politics.
Trump, meanwhile, continued to field questions about why
he did not denounce a New Hampshire man who said Muslims are “a problem” in the
United States, accused President Obama of being one, and claimed there are
Muslim terrorist camps in the United States.
The New York billionaire said he is not obligated to
defend Obama, and that he let the man have his say before moving on. Trump also
said he admired members of the Muslim community, telling CNN’s State of the Union that they are “wonderful people …
They’re fabulous people.”
The Muslim issue also surfaced in Carson’s campaign, as
the retired neurosurgeon said a Muslim should not be president.
“I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of
this nation,” Carson said on NBC’sMeet The Press. “I absolutely would not agree with that.”
The top three finishers in the new CNN poll — Trump,
Fiorina, and Carson — reflect anti-establishment politics that have dominated
the Republican presidential race.
None of the three front-runners have held elected office.
All say that is an asset because current political leaders have failed the
nation.
The other Republican candidates say they are reformers
who know how to change the system because they have been a part of it.
Kasich, a former U.S. House member as well as the
governor of Ohio, said on CNN’s State of the Union that “I’m fundamentally a
reformer … I’m both an inside and an outside player.” By David Jackson
cnn
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