A new poll of Iowa Republicans shows Texas senator Ted Cruz moving into a close second to Donald Trump in the race for the presidential nomination. The Quinnipiac poll of 600 likely GOP caucusgoers found 25 support Trump while 23 percent support Cruz.
Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who led Trump in some Iowa polls last month, has fallen to third place with 18 percent. Rounding out the field is Florida senator Marco Rubio with 13 percent, while the remaining candidates poll at just 5 percent or less.
The Quinnipiac poll is the second this week to show Cruz moving in behind Trump among Iowa Republicans, and the Texas senator appears to be on the rise in the Hawkeye State. According to Quinnipiac, Cruz has a large lead among self-described Tea Party voters with 42 percent to Trump’s 23 percent. He also leads among white evangelicals—a core group of support for Carson—with 27 percent to Carson’s 24 percent. A plurality of those who call themselves very conservative support Cruz at 38 percent, and he even edges out Carson with Republican women 26 percent to 23 percent.
In addition to his rise in the polls, the Cruz campaign has touted its superior organization skills in the state, including a network of pastors and home-schooling parents.
