New polls of likely Republican voters in two early primary states show Donald Trump maintaining a solid lead for the presidential nomination. The CBS News/YouGov tracking polls in both Iowa and New Hampshire show the real-estate magnate and reality TV star with big leads in those states.
In Iowa, 29 percent of likely Republican caucus participants say they are supporting Trump, with neurosurgeon Ben Carson in a close second with 25 percent. Among the remaining candidates, only senators Ted Cruz, at 10 percent, and Marco Rubio, at 6 percent, clear 5 percent support.
Trump has a much bigger lead in New Hampshire, where 40 percent of likely Republican primary voters support him, with Carson in a far second at 12 percent support. Not a single current or former elected official polls in double digits, with Ohio governor John Kasich at 9 percent and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina at 8 percent.
According to the Real Clear Politics average of polls, Trump has a 6.4-percent lead in Iowa and a 23.6-percent lead in New Hampshire.
The CBS/YouGov polls asked some policy questions of Republican primary voters in both states as well. On the question of raising taxes on investment firms and financial institutions, 26 percent of Iowa Republicans said they support the idea while 44 percent oppose it (30 percent say they aren’t sure). Among New Hampshire Republicans, there’s more support for the idea: 37 percent favor it, 27 percent oppose it, and 36 percent say they aren’t sure. Trump has suggested raising those taxes, and there is an element of this in former Florida governor Jeb Bush’s recently released tax plan.
GOP voters in both states overwhelmingly say congressional Republicans have “compromised too much” with President Obama over the last few years. That’s the view of 81 percent of Iowa Republicans and 59 percent of New Hampshire Republicans, with 10 percent and 20 percent, respectively, saying Congress has not compromised enough.
Republicans in both states are evenly split on what to do about illegal immigrants currently in the United States, with 45 percent of Iowa Republicans and 46 percent of New Hampshire Republicans saying those immigrant should be allowed to stay and eventually apply for citizenship. But about the same percentage in both states (47 percent in Iowa, 44 percent in New Hampshire) say illegal immigrants should be “required to leave the U.S.”
What do these voters want to see most in their candidate? In Iowa, 36 percent of the Republicans polled say what’s most important is a candidate’s “experience getting things done in business and the private sector,” while 25 percent say they want a “true conservative,” 20 percent say they want someone who can defeat the Democratic nominee, and 19 percent say they want someone with political experience.
There’s a slightly different breakdown in New Hampshire, with 39 percent valuing business experience the most, 26 percent looking for political experience, 21 percent who want someone who can defeat the Democratic nominee, and 13 percent who want a “true conservative.”
Eleven of the candidates, including Trump, Carson, Cruz, Kasich, Fiorina, and Rubio, will meet for the second GOP debate on Wednesday.
