Donald Trump continues to lead nationally among GOP voters with 41 days until voting commences in Iowa, but the candidate faces a real hurdle with both the national electorate and Republican primary voters.
According to a new Quinnipiac poll, Trump leads the 2016 GOP field with 28 percent, but 50 percent of voters nationwide say they would be “embarrassed” to have Trump as their president, while only 23 percent say they would be “proud.”
By contrast, only 35 percent of voters say they would be “embarrassed” to have Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton serve as commander in chief, and 33 percent say they would be proud of Clinton in the White House.
In addition, Trump is now facing competition nationwide from Sen. Ted Cruz, who surged 8 points in the poll and now only trails Trump by 4 percentage points. Cruz has 24 percent to Trump’s 28 percent.
The two are head and shoulders above the GOP field, as Sen. Marco Rubio and Dr. Ben Carson are sitting well back in third and fourth with 12 and 10 percent, respectively. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie sits in fifth place with 6 percent, which is his highest polling number nationally since May.
Trump also continues to struggle in head-to-head matchups with Clinton. According to the poll, Trump trails Clinton 47-40, while Cruz is tied with her at 44 percent, and Rubio trails 44-43.
