Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio Seen As Better Alternatives For Traditional Conservatives

Donald Trump has captured headlines all across the world over the past couple of weeks thanks to his proposal to ban all Muslims from entering the United States, at least for the time being. This message has not hurt Trump in the polls, as he still leads the race for the Republican nomination by a wide margin. In light of the recent attacks in San Bernardino and Paris, this message is resonating with a large number of Americans, even some who traditionally vote Democrat.

A number of prominent Republicans, including Dick Cheney and Mitt Romney, have come out against Trump's comments over the past week. There is a real fear for some in the Republican Party that Trump could end up winning the GOP nomination - depending on who you ask, this result could end up doing significant damage to the party going forward.

As Trump continues to sit atop the GOP polls with more than 30% support, a couple of other strong challengers are emerging. While other candidates, such as Ben Carson and Carly Fiorina, have surged and then faded, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio have been slowly and steadily marching their ways up the polls. As of this moment, Cruz has the support of 15.6% of Republican party supporters, while Rubio has 13.6% support. Both men have been quietly gaining support while the tornado that is Donald Trump continues to dominate the headlines.

To some in the Republican Party, Donald Trump would stand a 0% chance of beating Hillary Clinton in a general election. Sure, Trump would likely garner at least 40% of the general vote, though it seems almost impossible to imagine him garnering enough votes to defeat the popular Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Presidential election. In order to defeat Clinton, the Republican candidate will have to appeal to centrist Independent voters, and many Republicans don't feel as though Trump is capable of pulling off this feat.

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Both Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz appeal to traditional Conservatives who feel that Trump is not fit to represent the party. This is why, as the Donald Trump show continues to dominate the headlines, both Rubio and Cruz are slowly moving up the polls at the expense of names such as Ben Carson.

In the end, expect the anti-Trump members of the Republican party to solidify around either Ted Cruz or Marco Rubio, as one of those men will represent the best chance of stopping Trump from securing the GOP nomination.

Filed under: General Knowledge