Gov. Scott Walker Leads 2016 GOP Poll

Via the Des Moines Register:

Presidential stage newcomer Scott Walker, the conservative reform pit bull who inspired death threats from the left, has become the one to watch in the race for the Republican nomination a year out from the Iowa caucuses. At 15 percentage points, he leads a big, tightly packed field of potential contenders in a new Des Moines Register/Bloomberg Politics Iowa Poll of likely Republican caucusgoers. The caucuses are scheduled for Feb. 1, 2016. The Wisconsin governor is also the No. 2 most popular choice for likely caucusgoers who want an establishment candidate, and he's the No. 2 for those who want an anti-establishment candidate, the poll shows. The day after polling wrapped up, Romney announced he's out of the competition. When the numbers in this poll are shuffled — by giving Romney's votes to the contenders his supporters named as their second-choice pick — the five others in the top tier gain support. Huckabee, a former TV commentator and two-term Arkansas governor, benefits the most, picking up 3 percentage points. The pecking order doesn't shift, though.