GOP Insiders: No Clear 2016 Frontrunner

REUTERS/JIM YOUNG
REUTERS/JIM YOUNG

GOP political insiders believe the GOP 2016 field does not have a clear frontrunner even though Jeb Bush is looking raise $100 million to “shock and awe” his potential competitors.

When Politico asked insiders from Iowa and New Hampshire, “whether there’s a GOP front-runner, most Republican insiders answered, ‘no.'”

Insiders told the outlet that Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker would win Iowa if the caucuses were held today, but just two out of 32 believed he would win the caucuses.

Some believed that Bush is the frontrunner “by default” because he “is a bigger media draw, enjoys higher name ID and has access to more money than any other GOP candidate.” But an Iowa Republican reportedly expressed the consensus view that, “this is the most wide open contest I have ever seen.”

The “insiders” believed Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) is winning the ground game and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) would emerge as the top conservative challenger to the establishment-backed candidate.

 

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