As the first Republican debate for the primary season is quickly approaching,
Rasmussen Reports says that businessman Donald Trump, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush are guaranteed seats on the A-stage on Aug. 6.
Rasmussen's first national survey of likely Republican voters shows that Trump is ahead with 26 percent support, while Walker is in second with 14 percent and Bush has 10 percent of the vote — making them the top three leaders.
While there are 13 remaining major Republican candidates, Fox News is only opening the Aug. 6 debate to the top 10 as determined by the best numbers in leading polls.
Rasmussen Reports says the rest of the A-stage debate field is "a lot murkier," but six candidates stand out:
- Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, both with 7 percent;
- Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson and Ohio Gov. John Kasich with 5 percent each;
- Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul at 3 percent.
Then comes the pack:
- New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal all have 2 percent support among likely GOP voters;
- Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham and former New York Gov. George Pataki each pick up 1 percent of the Republican vote.
Trump, Walker, and Bush are the leaders in virtually every demographic category among likely Republican voters.
But, according to Rasmussen, name recognition is key at this "stage of the game" and Bush's name has been a drawback for some. Trump, conversely, has been making headlines daily, allowing his support from Republican voters to significantly climb.
Trump’s support rises to 30 percent among voters who think Republicans in Congress are out of touch with GOP voters nationwide.
Among those who think the new Congress is doing a good job representing the party base, Trump is in a virtual tie with Bush — 21 percent to 20 percent.
Rasmussen Reports' national telephone survey of 471 likely Republican voters was conducted on July 26-27. The margin of error for the survey is plus or minus 5 percentage points with a 95 percent level of confidence.
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