Recent News

New Iowa poll: Scott Walker leads, Jeb Bush in 7th place

The latest Iowa polling numbers are great news for Scott Walker, and terrible news for Jeb Bush.

The Wisconsin governor retains his advantage among Iowa Republican caucus-goers, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday, with 21 percent of likely participants saying they would vote for him if the caucus were held today.

Maybe his last name isn’t such a liability, after all.

Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush leads the GOP presidential field according to a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal national poll. Bush was the first pick of 23 percent of the 251 Republican primary voters surveyed.

G.O.P. Hopefuls Now Aiming to Woo the Middle Class

The last three men to win the Republican nomination have been the prosperous son of a president (George W. Bush), a senator who could not recall how many homes his family owned (John McCain of Arizona; it was seven) and a private equity executive worth an estimated $200 million (Mitt Romney).

Scott Walker’s Strength in Donors

Scott Walker enters the Republican presidential race with far stronger ties to the party’s biggest fund-raisers than any other candidate besides Jeb Bush.

Roughly half of the nation’s top 250 Republican donors have given money to Mr. Walker in his campaigns for Wisconsin governor, according to an Upshot analysis of Federal Election Commission records and state records. By comparison, 30 percent have given to Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, 20 percent to Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and 10 percent to Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey.

The rapid growth of the GOP presidential field is causing major headaches for party bosses ahead of a primary debate season that begins this summer.

The dilemma for Reince Priebus, Republican National Committee (RNC) chairman, is stark: If the declared field grows to 18 or 20 candidates, as now looks plausible, how can those numbers be winnowed in a way that seems fair and reasonable rather than arbitrary and undemocratic?

How to Read the Ups and Downs of Polling in the G.O.P. Race

The polling roller coaster, as FiveThirtyEight’s Harry Enten put it, has begun. One week the headline is “Ted Cruz Surging in Polls.” Three weeks later, it’s “Marco Rubio Surges to Front of G.O.P. Pack.”

The wave of candidate announcements that began late last month has set off a new phase of volatile polling, when voters will rally behind news-making candidates and move on as soon as the next arrives.

Head Start for Jeb Bush Campaign Is Part of Scott Walker’s Plan

It is a gamble at once audacious and born of necessity: Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin, a likely Republican candidate for president, has put campaign plans in motion that cede early momentum to his chief rival, Jeb Bush, in favor of beating Mr. Bush and other opponents with a long-game strategy designed to achieve financial and political success next winter.