Trump Upends GOP Race in New Polls

Two new polls confirm what even casual observers see about the race for the GOP nomination: Donald Trump is dominating the GOP field.

New polls from Suffolk and Monmouth Universities show real estate mogul and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush essentially tied for the Republican nomination.

The Monmouth poll, released Monday, shows Bush edging Trump 15 percent-13 percent. The Suffolk poll, released Tuesday, gives Trump the nod against Bush, 17 percent-14 percent. Both leads are within the polls’ margin of error.

Bush’s place as the nominal frontrunner isn’t surprising, given his universal name recognition and strong backing from much of the Republican party establishment. No poll has found Bush with more than 20 percent support, though, previewing the challenge he faces among many rank-and-file Republicans.

Trump’s surge in the polls is particularly interesting. In the Monmouth poll, nearly 4-in-10 GOP voters think his candidacy is a publicity stunt. Even in the Suffolk poll, which he lead, 60 percent of all voters have an unfavorable view of Trump.

Trump’s personal qualities are not driving him to the top of the GOP heap. There is, rather, something in his message that seems to be resonating with Republicans.

Breitbart News has talked with more than a dozen Republican and conservative activists over the past two days about the Trump phenomenon. While few expected to eventually vote for Trump, they unanimously gave positive reviews for what they described as his “blunt” and “honest” talk.

Only three political figures tested by Suffolk had net-positive favorability ratings; Scott Walker, Ben Carson and Bernie Sanders. All three were also the least well known among other Presidential contenders.

Just 35 percent of voters in the poll believe that the two major political parties do a good job of representing Americans’ views. More than half would like to see a third or multiple parties compete on the political stage.

Trump’s boomlet in the polls may not last, but the sentiment that gave rise to it is real. Whatever Trump’s feature in this Presidential contest, he is already making a deep and likely lasting impact.