Politics Jeb Bush Far Behind in Iowa Poll_copy

BRADENTON — A Tuesday poll says that former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush ranks sixth among the voters that have the first say in who will become the 2016 Republican presidential nominee.

The poll, which was conducted by Quinnipiac University, lists all declared GOP candidates as they gear up for the race to convince Iowans to help put them on the path to nomination in the state's February caucus. Ahead of Bush, who received 5 percent of the support of those polled, are Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker with 21 percent; Senators Rand Paul and Marco Rubio, who are tied at 13 percent; Sen. Ted Cruz at 12 percent, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee with 11 percent, and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson with 7 percent.

The findings are troubling for Bush, especially considering that Huckabee and Carson somewhat surprisingly threw their hats in the ring just last week, while the former Florida Governor, while not yet officially declared, has been considered for several months to be a sure contender for the nomination.

In addition, the poll asks who Iowan voters would "definitely not" support: Bush ranks first with 25 percent. Meanwhile, Rubio, the five-year Senator who officially declared last month, has a 69 - 9 percent favorability rating among Iowans; Bush has a negative 39 - 45 percent favorability rating. Generally viewed as a moderate candidate, 45 percent of voters polled stated that Bush is not conservative enough for them.

Peter Brown, assistant director of the poll, said that Bush "has yet to formalize his candidacy while he amasses what most expect to be a massive fund-raising lead."