House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., is thrashing his primary opponent, businessman and Donald Trump supporter Paul Nehlen, according to a poll released Friday.
Remington Research Group's telephone survey taken Wednesday showed that despite Trump's popularity in Wisconsin's First Congressional District, Ryan has next week's primary vote nearly locked-up:
When asked who they would support, Paul Ryan for re-election or challenger Paul Nehlen, if the election were held today:
- Ryan: 80 percent
- Nehlen: 14 percent
- Undecided: 6 percent
When asked "what is your opinion of Donald Trump?" respondents said:
- Favorable: 52 percent
- Unfavorable: 32 percent
- No opinion: 16 percent
Trump recently refused to endorse Ryan in the primary, echoing the congressional leader's reluctance to back the billionaire during the Republican presidential primaries in May. But the GOP nominee did have kind words for Nehlen, saying he was running "a very good campaign," in an interview with The Washington Post.
Nehlen drew ire for his comments about Muslims while on AM 560's "Morning Answer," The Daily Beast reports.
"I believe the break point is Sharia," he said. "If the Muslim is Sharia-compliant, that is in direct conflict with the U.S. Constitution."
"Islam is the only major religion that encourages lying," he continued when asked how officials would prevent Muslims from entering the country, as Trump proposed. "If they lie, how do you vet something like that?"
When asked how he would implement a test for Muslims, Nehlen said, "The question is why do we have Muslims in the country?" Prompting host Dan Proft to ask if he's suggesting that the U.S. deport all Muslims in the country, Nehlen responded: "I'm suggesting we have a discussion about it, that's for sure."
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