Donald Trump's reported boast that
"every time things get worse, I do better" is backed up by analysts' rankings of the GOP presidential primary contest, USA Today reports.
The newspaper reports it has compiled a weekly
"Power Rankings" from a group of political analysts since September, asking each for their opinion on who's the strongest candidate in the GOP field.
"In the wake of the deadly attack in San Bernardino, Calif., Trump took a larger share of the first-place votes (20 out of 27 votes cast) than at any time" since the first week of the rankings, USA Today reports.
The new survey was taken before Trump's call Monday for a
ban on Muslims entering the United States.
Here's the latest "Power Rankings," alongside the candidates' position the previous week:
1. Trump (1)
2. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (2)
3. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (3)
4. Ben Carson (4)
5. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (6)
6. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (5)
7. Ohio Gov. John Kasich (8)
8. Carly Fiorina (7)
9. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul (9)
10. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (10)
11. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham (11)
12. Rick Santorum (12)
13. Former New York Gov. George Pataki 913)
14. Former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore (14)
USA Today notes the latest rankings mark the third time in 15 weeks Bush has slipped out of the top five.
"Donald Trump's saber-rattling in the face of terrorism continues to earn him support in the polls," said Emory University's Andra Gillespie, noting "his widest margins ever" in the latest
CNN/ORC survey.
"The campaign seems to be between Trump, Cruz, and Rubio," Carroll University's Lilly Goren adds. "Not sure what Bush is still doing in the race, since he doesn't seem to be bringing anything that Rubio isn't, and it is more and more clear he isn't enjoying running for president."
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