Scott Walker Still Leads GOP Pack but Others Gaining: Poll

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is in the lead among a wide field of potential Republican presidential candidates, but his status as front-runner has become less secure, a new poll has found.

According to a survey by the left-leaning Public Policy Polling of 1,285 primary voters conducted May 7-10:

• Walker has 18 percent support
• Florida Sen. Marco Rubio has 13 percent support
• Retired pediatric neurosurgeon Ben Carson is at 12 percent
• Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is also at 12 percent
• Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has 11 percent
• Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has 10 percent
• Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul has 9 percent support
• New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie gets 5 percent support
• Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry picks up 2 percent

Walker's support has fallen in each of the last two PPP surveys. In the same poll from February, Walker had 25 percent support and held with a 7-point lead over the next closest candidate. In March, Walker stood at 20 percent.

Rubio and Huckabee have seen the largest gains since that time. In late March, Rubio had just 6 percent support while Huckabee also had 6 percent.

Bush and Cruz are among the candidates who suffered the worst setbacks. Bush, who has fallen to fifth place, was formerly in second place with 17 percent support. Cruz, who is in sixth place, was formerly in third place with 16 percent support.

On the Democratic side, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has a commanding lead:

• Clinton has 63 percent support
• Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has 13 percent support
• Former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb has 6 percent support
• Former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee has 5 percent
• Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley has 2 percent support

"Republicans are bouncing up and down much as they did in 2012," said Dean Debnam, president of Public Policy Polling, in a statement. "Meanwhile Hillary Clinton maintains her dominant hold on the Democratic lead."

The survey also tested candidates' favorability. Rubio and Huckabee are tied for the highest favorability rating in the field.

Fifty-eight percent have a positive view of Huckabee compared to 24 percent with an unfavorable view. Rubio has a positive favorability of 56 percent compared to 22 percent, the poll found.

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