Does better in head-to-head match up with Hillary than does Trump

Whether it’s an Overton Window effect, an example of Boyd’s “OODA Loop,” or something else, Ted Cruz is enjoying a surge in both state and national polls.

According to the latest Quinnipiac poll, Cruz is now only four points behind the current Republican front-runner, Donald Trump.

CNN reports:

Donald Trump’s lead over Ted Cruz has shrunk to just 4 percentage points in the second national poll after last week’s Republican debate. Trump wins 28% support in a Quinnipiac poll released Tuesday, with Cruz nipping at his heels with 24%. Following that pair is Marco Rubio with 12% support, Ben Carson with 10%, Chris Christie with 6% and Jeb Bush with 4%. The survey was in the field entirely after CNN’s debate in Las Vegas on Dec. 15. Cruz has been steadily climbing and overtaking Trump in Iowa, and there is some evidence that the Texas senator is managing to perform similarly nationally.

Qunnipiac’s findings are quite different from other national polls that have Trump at 34% and Cruz at 18% or Trump at 41% and Cruz at 14%.

The Reuters Rolling poll has Trump strongly in front:

REUTERS ROLLING: TRUMP 36.7%, CARSON 11.3%, CRUZ 11%, RUBIO 8.3% https://t.co/ZeVqaax0PV — DRUDGE REPORT (@DRUDGE_REPORT) December 23, 2015

CNN notes:

Quinnipiac’s national polling has consistently shown lower support for Donald Trump than other national phone polls, and that seems to be the case again in Tuesday’s survey. Their last pre-debate poll showed Trump at 27%, Rubio at 17% and Carson and Cruz both at 16%.

Trump also does not fair well in a head-to-head matchup against Hillary Clinton: “And in hypothetical head-to-head matchups, Trump continues to fare poorly, with Clinton beating him by 7 points and Sanders doing so by 13 points. Other Republicans apparently pose greater threats to the GOP: Cruz and Clinton tie at 44% each, and Clinton only beats Rubio 44% to 43%.”

However, it’s not easy to dismiss the Quinnipiac poll as an outlier just yet. Not only is Cruz leading Trump in Iowa, but he’s making steady gains in New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Florida.

Marc Caputo reports on the Associated Industries of Florida polls:

The crowded GOP field is harming Marco Rubio and helping Donald Trump, according to three new polls of likely Republican voters taken in New Hampshire, South Carolina and in Florida that also show Ted Cruz surging. For the first time, Cruz ties Trump in South Carolina, and he’s also tied for second with Rubio in the Florida senator’s home state, according to a memo on the three surveys, which were conducted after last week’s debate.

Newsmax has the numbers for each of the GOP candidates and reports Trump and Cruz, tied at 27 percent in South Carolina, Trump at 24 percent and Cruz at 16 percent in New Hampshire, and Trump at 29 percent and Cruz at 18 percent in Florida (it’s worth noting that Rubio is in third with 17% and Jeb, at 10%, is in fourth in their home state).

Watch Cruz discuss his surging poll numbers with Mark Steyn on Hannity:



