Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has
surged to the front of the pack of Republican presidential hopefuls – and now he's breathing down Hillary Clinton's back, a new poll shows.
In the latest
Rasmussen survey, 46 percent of likely voters say they'd vote for Clinton in a matchup with Walker if the 2016 presidential contest were held today – but nearly as many, 41 percent, would choose Walker instead.
But Walker’s lead is even stronger among informed voters: of the 35 percent of respondents who said they were keeping up to date with reports about next year’s elections "very closely," Walker soundly beat Clinton 51 to 43 percent, the poll finds.
The margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.
Jeb Bush and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson were runners up in the poll. Both took 36 percent of voter support in head-to-head pairings with Clinton.
The poll reflects Walker’s success in raising his name recognition nationally since his reelection as governor in November, and since
his rousing speech at the Iowa Freedom Summit in January – and as he's putting together a team in the early nominating states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, the
Cap Times reports.
Yet despite big funding and name recognition, Bush seems to be losing popularity in the polls,
Town Hall reports.
The former Florida governor lagged behind Walker by 15 in last week's Quinnipiac survey, came in
fifth in a Conservative Political Action Conference straw poll, and was
8 points behind Walker in a survey from Nevada.
He's even struggling in Florida, Town Hall reports, noting
a new poll from the Sunshine State shows Walker just one point behind Bush.