Potential Republican primary voters are divided over whether they could support former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush for president in 2016, according to a new poll.
Forty-nine percent of possible GOP primary voters say they could support Mr. Bush, while 42 percent say they could not, according to a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.
Mr. Bush, who some conservatives view with a skeptical eye because of his family ties to the White House and his comparatively moderate positions on education and immigration, is nevertheless in better standing than a few other potential GOP contenders.
Thirty-two percent of Republican voters say they could support New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in 2016, versus 57 percent who say they could not. And 20 percent could see themselves backing Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, compared to 51 percent who could not.
About three-quarters said they could not see themselves supporting businessman Donald Trump for president.
More numbers for potential Republican candidates, as well as Democrats, were to be released later Monday.
The survey of 229 GOP primary voters was taken from March 1-5 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 6.5 percentage points.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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