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Most registered Republicans think President Donald Trump is doing a good job, but they are split over whether another GOP candidate should challenge him for their party’s nomination in 2020, a new Iowa Poll shows.

The Iowa Poll, sponsored by the Des Moines Register, CNN and Mediacom, also finds 90 percent of registered Republicans want Trump to run a positive re-election campaign, focusing on the good things he’s done for the country. Just 4 percent want him to focus on attacking opponents — one of the president’s trademarks.

The poll asked registered Republicans how they view Trump’s performance and prospects. Eighty-one percent approve of the job he is doing as president. That’s the same level of approval as in a December 2018 Iowa Poll. Just 12 percent of Iowa Republicans disapprove of the job he’s doing, and 7 percent are unsure.

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Several other Republicans nationally have indicated they might challenge Trump for the party’s 2020 nomination. The new Iowa Poll shows registered Republicans in the state are split on hoping for a challenger: 40 percent hope there will be one, and 41 percent hope there won't. Nineteen percent are unsure.

A handful of possible challengers tested in the poll remain unknown quantities to many Iowa Republicans.

The poll of 400 registered Iowa Republicans has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points. It was conducted by Selzer & Co. on March 3-6.

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Big GOP majorities like Trump, plan to vote for him

The president has gained in popularity since registered Iowa Republicans were last polled in December. Eighty-two percent now view him favorably, up 5 percentage points, and 15 percent view him unfavorably, down 3 percentage points.

Sixty-seven percent of registered Iowa Republicans definitely plan to vote for Trump in 2020, the poll finds. Eighteen percent say they would consider voting for someone else, 9 percent say they definitely will vote for someone else, 3 percent are unsure and 2 percent don’t plan to vote.

Poll participant Eileen Thurman of Wilton said she plans to vote for Trump’s re-election and “pretty much” approves of the job he’s doing as president.

“I think he is trying to do stuff that should have been done years ago” — especially on illegal immigration and on getting fair trade with other countries, Thurman said. “I think he’s trying to make our country better for us.” She said his opponents have often blocked him from accomplishing his goals, however.

Thurman, 71, said she wishes Trump would focus more of his energy on promoting his ideas and less of it on attacking his opponents. “I don’t really care for the way he spouts off about things. I don’t think he always thinks things through beforehand,” she said.

Poll participant William Horning, 73, of Altoona also supports Trump but would like the president to tone down his approach.

“I wish he would quit tweeting as much as he does,” Horning said. “I think if he would keep his mouth shut more, he might do better.”

But Horning said Trump’s combative manner seems to be part of who he is. “It’s a typical New York attitude,” he said.

Horning said the president should focus his campaign on his administration’s accomplishments, such as efforts to rein in illegal immigration. “I think he’s doing as good as he can do with what he’s got,” said Horning, who retired from the electrical business.

Horning hopes no other Republicans challenge Trump in a primary because he thinks that could wind up costing the president support in the general election.

Poll participant Ryan Fagen, 30, of Keota doesn’t object to Trump focusing so much fire on his opponents. “Unfortunately, that’s the way it works, and he’s good at it,” said Fagen, who is a farmer.

Fagen said Trump is just telling the truth when he goes after Democrats. “He’s arguing against socialism, and that’s what the other side wants — socialism,” he said.

Most support emergency powers use to fund wall

Although Fagen supports Trump generally, he’s uncomfortable with the president’s attempt to use emergency powers to obtain billions of dollars for a border wall.

Trump invoked emergency powers last month after Congress declined to approve the $5.7 billion he demanded for a border wall. The decision sparked legal challenges, and the U.S. House, led by Democrats, voted to block his declaration. The Senate is expected to vote on the issue soon.

Fagen agrees with Trump that such a wall should be built, but he thinks it should be up to Congress to appropriate the money. Letting a president use emergency authority to spend money without congressional approval, he said, “might be too much power for a president to have.” In the future, a Democratic president could use the same approach to spend money for projects Congress doesn’t support, Fagen said. He added that Congress should consider limiting the emergency-powers law to make clear how it may or may not be used.

The new Iowa Poll shows 63 percent of Iowa Republicans believe that Trump had the right to use emergency powers to obtain border-wall money and that it was the right thing to do. Another 6 percent believe that he had the legal right to do so, but that it was the wrong thing to do. Twenty percent think he did not have the right to use emergency powers that way; and 6 percent are unsure.

Poll participant Giselle Roenfeld, 61, of Silver City supports the president’s use of emergency powers. “I am all in favor for the border wall. I think we need it. I’m on board with that 100 percent,” said Roenfeld, who retired after working in banking and as a convenience store manager.

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Possible GOP primary challengers?

Roenfeld said that although she agrees with Trump on the border wall, she hopes another Republican challenges him for the party's 2020 nomination. She’s tired of the president’s brusque manner. “He’s got a roughness to him,” she said. “He needs to take that roughness away.”

She said she would consider voting for a Republican challenger, depending on who it is and what they offer. “I’d have to weigh it out,” she said.

The new Iowa Poll also asked Iowa Republicans how they feel about former Starbucks leader Howard Schultz, who is considering an independent run for president.

Sixty-one percent say they’re unsure about Schultz. Nearly three times as many respondents have an unfavorable view of him as have a favorable view (28 percent to 10 percent).

Among potential Republican challengers tested, former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who ran for president in 2016, is best known, the poll suggests. Twenty-seven percent of Iowa Republicans have a favorable view of Kasich, but about just as many, 28 percent, have an unfavorable view. Forty-five percent are unsure.

Most Iowa Republicans don’t know what to make of two other potential Republican challengers to Trump, the poll shows.

Eighty-four percent say they’re unsure how to feel about Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan. Twelve percent have an unfavorable view of Hogan; 4 percent have a favorable view.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld is in a similar position with Iowa Republicans, the poll shows. Eighty-one percent say they are unsure how to feel about Weld; 15 percent have an unfavorable view; and just 4 percent have a favorable view.

Registered Republicans who hope no fellow Republicans challenge Trump are more likely to say the president is doing a good job. Ninety-seven percent of them approve of his job performance. Just 63 percent of Iowa Republicans who are rooting for a GOP challenger approve of the job Trump is doing.

Eighty-two percent of Iowa Republicans who don’t want a GOP challenger say they are almost certain or fairly confident Trump will win re-election. Among Iowa Republicans who want to see a primary election challenger, just 37 percent are almost certain or fairly confident Trump will win re-election.

About this poll

The Iowa Poll, conducted March 3-6, 2019, for The Des Moines Register, CNN and Mediacom by Selzer & Co. of Des Moines, is based on telephone interviews with 401 registered voters in Iowa who say they will definitely or probably attend the 2020 Democratic caucuses and 400 registered Republicans.

Interviewers with Quantel Research contacted 1,618 randomly selected active voters from the Iowa secretary of state’s voter registration list by telephone. The sample was supplemented with additional phone number lookups. Interviews were administered in English. Responses for all contacts were adjusted by age and sex to reflect their proportions among active voters in the list. For the registered Republican sample, responses for the 418 registered Republican contacts were adjusted by age and sex to reflect their proportions among active registered Republicans in the voter registration list.

Questions based on the sample of 401 voters likely to attend the 2020 Iowa Democratic caucuses have a maximum margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points, as does the sample of 400 registered Republicans. This means that if this survey were repeated using the same questions and the same methodology, 19 times out of 20, the findings would not vary from the true population value by more than plus or minus 4.9 percentage points. Results based on smaller samples of respondents — such as by gender or age — have a larger margin of error.

Republishing the copyright Iowa Poll without credit to The Des Moines Register, CNN, and Mediacom is prohibited.