<p>A recent Iowa poll shows Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker as the Republican favorite. Expected to make his announcement sometime this summer, Walker may increase the total number of GOP hopefuls to nine, not counting Jeb Bush, who hasn&#8217;t yet declared his intentions.</p>
<p>The poll, conducted by Bloomberg Politics, awarded Walker with 17% of the Republican vote. Rand Paul and Ben Carson were in second place followed by Mike Huckabee, Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, and Rick Santorum. In last place was Ted Cruz with a paltry 5%.</p>
<p>Walker was also the top pick by caucus goers followed closely by Marco Rubio. Not surprisingly, over 50% said they would never consider voting for Donald Trump and 35% would never vote for Jeb Bush. The survey comes at an important time for Iowa as the state prepares for a busy campaign season including a straw poll, candidate visits, and the ever-popular Iowa State Fair.</p>
<p>Although several GOP candidates are planning to skip the Iowa straw poll this year, Walker made it plain in an interview with Howie Carr that he plans to attend. During the interview he also spoke of Carly Fiorina, the only female to emerge as a potential GOP candidate, saying her &#8220;criticism of Hillary is spot on.&#8221;</p>
<p>Analysts are predicting that with such a fractured Republican field, 20% is all one candidate needs to win the state of Iowa. And Walker is close. But we still have eight months until the caucus and the list of GOP candidates continues to grow. Walker may have come out on top in Iowa, but Marco Rubio is in a solid second place and is only growing in popularity.</p>
<p>The fact that his home state is close to Iowa seems to be adding to Walker&#8217;s popularity. After the poll, a 69-year-old participant from Des Moines approached the press and offered a new viewpoint (speaking of Walker): It would be refreshing to have a non-university graduate running the country &#8230; there is a difference between education and intelligence and wisdom.&#8221;</p>