<p>Ted Cruz has taken the lead in the important Midwestern state of Iowa, leaping past Trump by 5 percentage points. The most recent Monmouth poll shows that Ben Carson has dropped by 19 points and Cruz has gone up 14 since the last poll 2 months ago. ;</p>
<p>The poll also revealed a surprising preference split between male and female voters: men are more likely to vote for Cruz or Trump over Rubio and Carson, while women support Rubio and Cruz over Carson and Trump. ;</p>
<p>Not all polls agree about Cruz. A ;similar poll of Republican caucusgoers in Iowa conducted by CNN shows Trump still in the lead with 33% and Cruz in second place with 20%. ;In regards to national polls, however, Ted Cruz has skyrocketed into what some are calling a three-way tie for second place between Cruz, Marco, and Carson. ;</p>
<p>Two months ago things were looking bleak for Cruz with only single-digit support. <em>So what happened?</em> First of all, Carson is losing voter support fast; many of these individuals have turned their eyes to Cruz as a replacement. ;Second, Ted Cruz has dramatically altered his speaking style. ;</p>
<p>The soft-spoken, apologetic mannerisms of Ted Cruz have been replaced with a deeper, louder tone and an aggressive way of speaking. Even his online personality has changed, as is exemplified with Twitter posts like this challenging statement: &ldquo;Mr. President, if you want to insult me, insult me to my face. Let&rsquo;s have a debate on Syrian refugees right now!&rdquo; ;</p>
<p>Seems he&#8217;s taken some pointers from the Donald. ;</p>