Trump at top, Jindal at bottom: Washington Post/ABC News poll.

AB Wire

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NEW YORK: Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, who is in serious danger of being excluded from the opening debate of the GOP primaries as his poll numbers continue to remain abysmal despite championing every right wing cause possible, has been dismissed as a nonsensical contender by hotel and casino magnate Donald Trump, who is in the middle of a good run in national polls.

“You get guys like Perry, he’s not registering, Bobby Jindal was very vehement –oh, bah bah. I think he’s at zero,” Trump said contemptuously of Jindal in an interview to The New York Times, today.

Trump, who has criticized other right wing champions, including the former governor of Texas, Rick Perry, and the US Senator John McCain, apart from Jindal, in comments which have puzzled many and caused him further erosion in popularity, is however, at present riding high on favorable national polls.

The latest one from the Washington Post/ABC News shows Trump firmly entrenched at the top, followed way behind by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker. Jindal is near the bottom of the pile.

The Post/ABC poll, released today, shows Trump was the favorite of 24 percent of registered Republicans and Republican-leaning independents. That is the highest percentage and biggest lead recorded by any GOP candidate this year in Post-ABC News polls and marks a six-fold increase in his support since late May, shortly before he formally joined the race, reported the Post.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who announced his candidacy a week ago, is in second place, at 13 percent, followed by former Florida governor Jeb Bush, at 12 percent. Walker’s support is strongest among those who describe themselves as “very conservative.”

The next seven, ranging in support from 8 percent to 3 percent, are: former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.), retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.), Sen. Ted Cruz (Tex.), former Texas governor Rick Perry and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

The rankings are more important than early national surveys in previous campaigns because only the top 10 candidates, based on an average of the most recent national polls, will qualify for the first Republican debates. The first debate will be held August 6 in Cleveland, sponsored by Fox News Channel.

The bottom six candidates in the Post-ABC News survey are Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who plans to announce his candidacy Tuesday, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, former New York governor George Pataki, former senator Rick Santorum (Pa.), businesswoman Carly Fiorina and Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (S.C.). Their support ranges from 2 percent to less than 1 percent.

The poll showed that in the contest for the Democratic nomination, former secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton maintains a wide lead, with 68 percent of registered Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents saying they would vote for her today in a caucus or primary. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who is drawing big and enthusiastic crowds in many states, is in second, at 16 percent. Support for Sanders has grown with each Post-ABC News poll this year.

Trailing the top two candidates are former senator Jim Webb (Va.), at 5 percent, former Maryland governor Martin O’Malley, at 2 percent, and former Rhode Island governor Lincoln D. Chafee, at 1 percent.

When Vice President Biden is included as a choice, Clinton is at 63 percent, Sanders at 14 percent and Biden is at 12 percent. Biden is not a declared candidate but has not said definitively that he will not run.

Jindal, despite being trashed in polls, continued to seek favor from the right wing base of the party, with comments about defunding Planned Parenthood, a choice target of his.

Salon reported that Jindal “quickly outed himself last week as someone who buys into the claims of a heavily edited anti-Planned Parenthood video that began circulating last week, which accuses the organization of illegally selling donated fetal tissue (known to some conservatives as “baby parts”).”

Speaking with talk radio host Steve Deace on Friday, Jindal — who launched an investigation of his state’s Planned Parenthood affiliates after the video was released — made a bizarre comment too of the organization: “They try to defend themselves by saying this is health care and patient-centered,” Jindal said. “Abortions are not health care, and this is not about the patient. The patient in this case is that unborn baby. They’ve got no concern for the unborn baby, and you can see that in the video.”