Scott Walker leads the GOP pack in the key early caucus state of Iowa, a new poll from Quinnipiac University shows.
The once little-known Wisconsin governor gets the support of 25 percent of likely Republican caucus participants, while potential rivals Sen. Rand Paul (13 percent), Ben Carson (11 percent), Mike Huckabee (11 percent) and Jeb Bush (10 percent) lag behind.
Walker also gets a strong favorability rating with likely GOP caucus-goers, with 57 percent saying that they have a positive view of him compared to just seven percent who disagree. Three out of four Tea Party members also give him a thumbs up.
Bush, who is viewed as a fundraising powerhouse and a favorite of establishment Republicans, gets a positive rating from 41 percent of those surveyed, while 40 percent view him negatively.
And Bush particularly struggles with the most conservative of caucus participants. Nearly four in ten Tea Party members said they would definitely not support him for the GOP nod.
Another GOP hopeful who struggles with the conservative-leaning Iowa GOP electorate is New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. Just four percent of respondents say they would support him for the nomination, and more than half say they have a negative view of him.
Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, who narrowly won the caucuses in 2012, received four percent support in the poll. Also registering in single digits: Ted Cruz (five percent), Bobby Jindal (two percent), Rick Perry (three percent) and Marco Rubio (four percent.)
The telephone survey was conducted from February 16 to 23. It has a margin of error of +/- 3.9 percentage points.