Donald Trump's Poll Numbers Spike After Post-McCain Comments, GOP In Panic Mode

Donald Trump has been riding high since he announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for president, but most believed his rise would be short lived. Even after making multiple controversial remarks, including one about Republican Sen. John McCain, Trump is seeing his support grow with conservatives and is starting to distance himself on a national level from other Republicans.

"He's not a war hero." That's what Trump said just over a week ago at the Family Values Summit in Iowa when he was asked about McCain. Backlash from his opponents in the primary came quick and harsh, with all but Sen. Ted Cruz speaking out against Trump. The general consensus was that this was it for Trump and that he had peaked. This sentiment was wrong according to the newest Economist/YouGov Poll released July 24 that shows Trump's numbers have actually improved, with a sizable distance between himself and the second place contestant.

Twenty-eight percent of those polled listed Trump as their first choice in the Republican primary, with an additional 10 percent putting him as their second choice. The second on the list was former governor of Florida, Jeb Bush who was able to garner 12 percent of the "first choice" vote, getting an additional six percent for those who listed him as their backup plan. The 14 point distance between Trump and Bush is the largest gap between first and second place in any major national primary poll this election cycle. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker was right behind Bush, pulling in 13 percent of the "first place" vote, but an additional 12 percent thought of him as their second choice. Rounding out the top five were Sen. Marco Rubio and Ben Carson.

Trump's rise and consistency atop the Republican field has thrown the party into disarray. The establishment has been attempting to orchestrate a ban of Trump from the debates, as The New York Times reports that "donors and operatives mused about how to prevent (Trump) from hijacking the debate." If Trump continues to feel pressure from national Republicans, he has threatened that he could run as an Independent, which essentially would split the Republican vote , ensuring a likely Democratic victory in 2016.

http://www.examiner.com/article/donald-trump-s-poll-numbers-spike-after-post-mccain-comments-gop-panic-mode