Billionaire Donald Trump gave everyone a surprise by coming in second, only trailing behind Florida Gov. John Ellis "Jeb" Bush, among the long list of Republican presidential hopefuls in a new survey conducted in New Hampshire.
In a poll released by Suffolk University on Tuesday morning, almost 11 percent of those who might participate in the GOP presidential primary in the New England state said they would support the candidacy of the real estate mogul.
"I'm not thrilled, 'cause how could Bush be in the first place? This guy can't negotiate his way out of a paper bag!" Trump said after learning of his second-place finish.
Bush, the son and brother of two former US presidents, topped the poll with 14 percent support. After Trump, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker was at third with 8 percent percent, followed by Sen. Marco Rubio with 7 percent, and popular neurosurgeon Ben Carson with 6 percent.
While Trump outpolled a crowded group of Republican contenders except Bush, the Washington Post said the survey still sends some mixed signals for the reality TV star since his favourable and unfavourable rating is still unclear.
Although 37 percent of the respondents said they have a favorable opinion of the real estate mogul and reality TV star, 49 percent said they see him in an unfavourable light – "the highest unfavourable rating of any GOP presidential contender," the Washington Post reported.
"Still, 60 percent of Republican voters surveyed said they would like to see him on the debate stage," it added.
The survey, which was fielded from June 18 to 22 with a 4.4 percent margin of error, showed that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie received under 5 percent support while Kentucky Sen. Rand Pail registered 4 percent approval.
Nearly 4 percent said they would back Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiona, while about 2 percent said they would support former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee and Ohio Gov. John Kasich.
Meanwhile, former New York Gov. George Pataki and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry each received 1 percent of voters' support, while former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal all got less than 1 percent support.
Nearly three out of 10 surveyed said they were still undecided.
David Paleologus, director of Suffolk University's Political Research Center, explained that there are two types of contenders in New Hampshire—those candidates who are "widely popular" and the others who have a "committed base of supporters, but a higher unfavourable rating overall."
He hinted that the popular crowd includes Bush, Rubio, and Walker while Trump, Paul, Huckabee, and Christie can all be categorised under the other group of contenders that enjoy some level of popularity but with a baggage of higher negative but loyal supporters.
"In the short run, these candidates are competitive with the more popular GOP contenders. But in the long run it will be harder to grow as the field of candidates is reduced and the negatives become a disqualifier," he added.
The survey results came out a few days after Trump and Bush officially announced their White House run.
