The Republican Party elite dismissed Donald Trump as a joke candidate from the onset of his campaign, but average Americans are convinced that the billionaire businessman is the contender most likely to take the GOP nomination.
That’s according to a poll from Rasmussen, which found an astonishing 57 percent of likely Republican voters believe that Trump will win the party’s nomination. Just two months ago, only 27 percent of Republican voters felt Trump had a shot.
But it isn’t just Republicans who believe Trump has an edge over his fellow candidates. Forty-nine percent of all voters say that Trump will be the Republican choice, up from 23 percent.
The wealthy celebrity businessman continues to lead the Republican primary field, polling at 22 percent in the latest Real Clear Politics average. Following Trump are Florida Gov. Jeb Bush at 10 percent and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson at 9 percent. Tied for fourth, with 7 percent each, are Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas.
According to a recent report in USA Today, Trump’s campaign team is currently working to “consolidate the leads he enjoys in Republican polls; then turn out enough supporters to win early state contests; then ride a wave of new and energized anti-establishment voters to the Republican Party presidential nomination and beyond.”
From the newspaper:
Whatever happens in the next six months or so, the New York-based billionaire has put his political stamp on the summer of 2015, and Republican opponents will have to deal with him one way or another, sooner or later. At this point, Trump has convinced a large cadre of volunteers that he can go all the way by stressing issues like immigration and trade and attracting potential voters who have sat out previous elections because they dislike traditional politicians.
Trump on Friday planned a massive rally in Alabama, an event seen largely as a move to secure support across the Deep South.
