Amazing....
Donald Trump just took the lead. Did his immigration comments actually help?
On Monday, a poll showed Donald Trump -- once a pariah even among his fellow Republicans -- was suddenly more popular in the GOP. And now, a new poll shows him in first place in the GOP primary (albeit within the margin of error).
The Suffolk University poll shows Trump at 17 percent, Jeb Bush at 14 percent and Scott Walker at 8 percent.
And to hear Trump tell it, it's because "everybody" agrees with his comments about Mexico sending illegal immigrants who are criminals and rapists to the United States.
"The fact is that I’ve made a point, the point has now been accepted," Trump said Tuesday on Fox Business. "It was very hot a week ago, and now everybody’s saying 'Trump is right.'"
That's a pretty bold claim, but it's a little harder to argue against (at least in spirit) now that Trump has gained in the polls. At the very least, it would seem Trump's controversial and factually challenged immigration comments accrued to his benefit among Republicans.
Except that's not exactly true. Trump's comments do appear to have solidified support among a very niche group of GOP voters. But among Republicans more broadly: They are still a net-negative.
The very same Suffolk poll shows 24 percent of Republicans say the immigration comments make them more likely to vote for Trump. Another 34 percent say they make them less likely to support him, while 36 percent say it makes no difference.
more:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2015/07/14/donald-trump-just-took-the-lead-did-his-immigration-comments-actually-help/
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