According to new Gallup poll data, unfavorable perceptions of Jeb Bush among Republican and right-leaning independent voters have for the first time begun outnumbering favorable ones. In short: Jeb! is the GOP’s least favorite.
Bush’s -1 favorability rating (meaning 44 percent positive vs. 45 percent negative among those polled) sits comfortably at the caboose of the GOP primary field, behind even kids table regular John Kasich, who lands at +5. Ted Cruz sits atop the field with a +45 rating.
Trump, meanwhile, has an uncharacteristically modest favorability rating among GOP voters, at +24.
To be expected, The Donald is the most reviled GOP candidate by a healthy margin among overall voters, with a -23. And Bush is nearly as disliked, with a -13.
Bush is hardly a no-name candidate, with 89% name recognition — second only to brand specialist Donald Trump (94%). Moreover, the results stress, “There have been no highly publicized incidents, scandals or revelations connected with Bush’s campaign.”
Instead, Bush’s “lack of momentum” could be to blame for the steady decline of the candidate’s favorability from its peak at +27 last July, when aggregate polling began.
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