Gov. Bobby Jindal expressed optimism for his own presidential campaign—which has seen a slight bump in the Iowa polls—in the face of Donald Trump’s surging popularity, which Jindal maintained is just a symptom of the early campaign season during an appearance on ABC’s This Week on Sunday.
“I think Donald Trump has done a great job tapping into the anger, the frustration that voters feel … not only with President Obama but with the Republican leadership as well,” Jindal told host Martha Raddatz. “But what the polls tell me is that nobody has any real votes right now. I think after we get past this summer of silliness and insults, the voters are going to begin to look at who is prepared to do the job.”
Several polls indicate Jindal will not be on the prime-time Republican debate stage next month. However, he remains confident he still has ample time to catch fire.
“We are seeing great momentum in Iowa. We are seeing standing only crowds, we are going to every county,” Jindal said. “What I see is that voters haven’t committed to any candidate yet … this is a wide open race.”
As The Des Moines Register reports, Jindal’s poll numbers in Iowa have ticked up in recent weeks as he continues to heavily campaign in the important caucus state. Since May, his support has risen from 1 percentage point to 2%, placing him tied for 10th among the wide field of candidates. His favorability rating, meanwhile, has risen 18 points since May to 61%, which places him fifth in the field.
Trump continues to lead the GOP field in Iowa, and his popularity appears to be growing. In May, his favorability in Iowa was at 27%, while 63% said they unfavorably. Now, it’s 61% favorable, 35% unfavorable.
The Des Moines Register has a look at all of the GOP candidates’ poll numbers in Iowa.
