CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The chair of West Virginia’s Republican Party is not surprised with Donald Trump’s continued popularity as a Republican presidential candidate early in the 2016 election cycle.
“I think he’s sending a real message that shakes up the establishment,” Conrad Lucas said on Tuesday’s MetroNews “Talkline.” According to him, voters are looking for “authenticity” in their political candidates.
“I think, in Donald Trump, they get that type of authenticity, someone who is different in saying statements that haven’t necessarily been focus-grouped and poll-tested and been through the wringer to make sure they sound politically correct,” said Lucas.
For that reason, he said Trump’s support has grown in recent months and “appears sustainable” heading into the fall.
On Tuesday, Public Policy Polling released a New Hampshire poll that found Trump in the strongest position of any PPP poll conducted since he entered the race.
Trump lapped the Republican field with support from 35 percent of those polled, compared with 11 percent for John Kasich, ten percent for Carly Fiorina, seven percent each for both Jeb Bush and Scott Walker, six percent for Ben Carson, four percent each for Chris Christie, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio followed by Rand Paul, Rick Perry, Lindsey Graham, George Pataki, Rick Santorum, Jim Gilmore, Mike Huckabee and Bobby Jindal.
At this point, Lucas said he’s seen no solid numbers on how Trump is faring in West Virginia.
“If I was a betting man, I would say that, much like nationally, that Trump is most likely leading here right now, but that’s just based on data from other states and then, of course, national trends,” he said.
The New York Times found that Trump is building a “demographically and ideologically diverse coalition, constructed around personality, not substance, that bridges demographic and political divides.”
The Times wrote, “His support is not tethered to a single issue or sentiment” and concluded “Trumpism…is an attitude, not an ideology.”
It’s early, though.
“It’s very interesting to be at this stage of the game and looking back at past presidential cycles and seeing who was leading at different points,” said Lucas. Referencing the same time in 2008, “It was looking like it was going to be Rudy Giuliani versus Hillary Clinton and, of course, neither made it that far.”
West Virginia’s primary election will be held on May 10.