Donald Trump Polls: With His Path To Republican Nomination Almost Assured, Trump Faces Even Bigger Problems Ahead
Donald Trump is cruising in polls for the Republican primary, leading in a number of upcoming states that would put him on the path to the nomination.
But with the Republican nomination all but locked up, Donald Trump looks ahead to a general election race filled with obstacles. Though Trump has been steadily building his support within the Republican voter base, his national support remains fractured.
Polls have shown that Trump has big problems with non-white voters, and a new poll from Reuters/Ipsos shows that he also struggles when it comes to winning over women voters. Half of U.S. women surveyed say they have a “very unfavorable” view of Trump, up from 40 percent in October.
Trump may cherish women, but they don't all cherish him back: https://t.co/O81RsYEc2T pic.twitter.com/s96fdlkIBf
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 17, 2016
“If the presidential election were tomorrow, women would be a big problem for Trump,” Republican strategist David Carney told Reuters. “But he has time to fix it.”
The women polled cited a number of factors, such as Trump’s very public spats with women, including Fox News host Megyn Kelly. Even self-professed conservative women had problems with Trump, including one Tennessee voter who said she was put off by the way he has “belittled women.”
Opponents have already seized on Trump’s unpopularity with women. This week the group Our Principles Super PAC published an ad in which women read quotes Trump has made demeaning women, many of which came from his nearly two dozen appearances on The Howard Stern Show.
The CBC compiled a number of Trump’s quotes:
- “You know it really doesn’t matter what they write, as long as you’ve got a young and beautiful piece of a**.” – to Esquire in 1991
- “There was blood coming out of her eyes… blood coming out of her… wherever.” – to CNN, referencing Fox News debate moderator Megyn Kelly, in 2015
- “Women; You have to treat them like s***.” – to New York magazine in 1992
Many believe Trump’s problems could only grow once he is head-to-head with Hillary Clinton. Direct and stinging attacks against Clinton may only end up creating more resentment toward Trump, experts say.
“Donald Trump has higher unfavorablities than Hillary Clinton, and as a political strategist, I know that when you go on the negative against Hillary, it is going to drive up your negatives more,” said Erick Erickson in an appearance on Fox News, via Real Clear Politics. “And you’ve already got exit polls saying 40 percent of Republicans are ready to go elsewhere.”
Women are not the only group where the Republican frontrunner struggles. Past polls show that Donald Trump will also have a difficult time with Hispanic voters, as a Gallup poll shows that 77 percent surveyed have an unfavorable opinion of Trump.
Trump's favorability numbers are without precedent among major pres candidates at this stage https://t.co/FW8V6j8VKB pic.twitter.com/Y6uXkQktv7
— Brendan Nyhan (@BrendanNyhan in other places) (@BrendanNyhan) March 10, 2016
As the Washington Post pointed out, even the Democrats in the race are polling better than Trump among Hispanic Republicans.
“Again, this is all Hispanics — a group that leans Democratic. But Gallup also broke down the numbers for Hispanic Republicans. In that group, the most popular candidate was Marco Rubio (assuming he’s still a candidate by the time you read this). Then Cruz, then John Kasich — and then both Democrats, before getting to Trump.”
These polls suggest that Donald Trump will have a mountain ahead of him to win the presidency in 2016. Women and Hispanics are two groups that lean Democratic, and Trump will need a large share of both if he is to piece together a winning coalition. Instead, the numbers suggest that he is far from competing and that some swing states with a high percentage of Hispanic voters — including New Mexico, Nevada, and even possibly Arizona — could go to Hillary Clinton.
[Image via Instagram/Donald Trump]
