Several of the Republican presidential candidates who performed well in the Breitbart Primary online straw poll tell Breitbart News they’re pleased with the results and it shows they’re gaining among the grassroots.
In what’s easily the highest-volume straw poll in America when it comes to the 2016 GOP presidential primaries with 55,000 respondents, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) placed in first place in the Breitbart Primary’s first month. He was closely followed by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) came in third. Two other candidates, neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson and former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina—both Washington outsiders—proved to be gaining steam in the first month of the Breitbart Primary.
“I’m greatly encouraged by the results because it represents a win for the people and I believe it demonstrates what we’re seeing all across the country,” Cruz told Breitbart News on Tuesday in response to Monday’s announcement of the first month of results.
Grassroots conservatives aren’t interested in a lot of talk. They want someone with a proven record of fighting for our principles and values. Someone who has fought for them by consistently opposing amnesty, Obamacare, and for protecting religious liberty, and the rule of law. They want someone who has stood up for the them against the Washington Cartel, that is the career politicians in both parties, lobbyists, special interests, and elite media that have rigged the game at the expense of hardworking Americans. Together we can crush the cartel and return government control to the people.
Walker’s spokeswoman AshLee Strong said the governor is very pleased that Breitbart readers are showing their support for him as well.
“We’re excited that so many Breitbart readers are supporting Governor Walker,” Strong said in an email. “From championing collective bargaining reform, to turning a deficit into a surplus, to advancing a strong pro-life agenda, and opposing common core, Governor Walker’s successful record of conservative leadership is unsurpassed.”
Cruz topped the field for the month of June winning 30 percent, while Walker came in a close second with 22 percent and Paul came in third with 13 percent.
Carson finished in fourth place with 7 percent and Fiorina was tied for seventh with 4 percent, placing considerably better than many other national polls—meaning both of these candidates’ strength is with the grassroots in places like Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.
Carson told Breitbart News he’s excited by the results.
“I am pleased to see that our grass-roots campaign continues in a positive, competitive direction,” Carson said in an email.
The Breitbart poll is a solid measure that Americans of all persuasions are listening to the messages from all candidates that now is the time to take our country back. I look forward to an aggressive and productive campaign through the Republican primaries. In the end, I’m confident that our efforts will set the Washington political class on their heels, and enable the people’s voice to be heard over all others.
Fiorina is also thrilled her grassroots support is growing as evidenced by the Breitbart Primary’s June numbers.
“This just shows the momentum that Carly is building among conservatives across the country,” Fiorina spokeswoman Anna Epstein said in an email. “Americans are ready for a leader who is outside the political class and will challenge the status quo.”
It’s hard to expect that any other straw poll on the grassroots level across America will match the volume level of response so far—a level that is expected to grow significantly in the coming weeks and months—from the grassroots.
It’s almost unheard of to have a participation rate in any poll—scientific or straw—of more than 5,000 respondents. That 55,000 people have participated in the first month, a number expected to increase significantly as the 2016 primary process plays itself out, shows just how energetic the conservative grassroots are in 2016—and just how important it is for whoever the Republican nominee ends up being, if they want to win the general election, to excite that base rather than ignore them.
Of course, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney—the 2012 nominee—failed to turn out the Republican base in the 2012 election with most estimates saying at least 5 million conservatives stayed home. Looking forward to 2016, it is these voters—the people who are voting in this straw poll—who will be crucial not just in the GOP primary but also in the general election.
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