New poll shows Donald Trump running strong in Iowa, New Hampshire

Donald Trump, the provocative reality television star who for much of the last month has upended the 2016 Republican primary, is still doing well in polls in a pair of early nominating states despite recent rhetoric that many party leaders have denounced.

In New Hampshire, which holds the first presidential primary, Trump leads the field with 21% support from potential GOP primary voters, according to a new NBC News/Marist poll released Sunday. His closest competitor, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is at 14%, with Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker receiving 12% support and Ohio Gov. John Kasich at 7%.

Meanwhile, in Iowa, where the state’s caucuses begin the nominating process, Trump is tied with Walker. Both get 19% support from potential GOP caucus-goers. Bush is at 12%, followed by retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson with 8% and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee at 7%.

In Iowa on Saturday, Trump jabbed Walker for Wisconsin’s recent budget troubles. His criticism came after news broke that a top fundraiser for the governor had referred to Trump as “Dumb Dumb” in an email to supporters.

Walker, the son of a pastor, has strong appeal to evangelical voters who traditionally turn out in large numbers in the state’s Republican caucuses.

The NBC/Marist poll was taken from July 14-21 and came after Trump’s controversial comments July 18 about Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in which he said McCain was not a war hero even though the senator had been held captive in North Vietnam for 5-1/2 years.

Other Republican hopefuls sharply attacked Trump after the comments about McCain. But that has not hurt Trump’s standing among Iowa Republicans, the poll indicated. Trump gained two percentage points after the statements, the poll found.

In New Hampshire, by contrast, Trump lost 12 percentage points of his support from Republican voters after the comments, according to the poll.

A separate poll released by YouGov on Thursday showed Trump continuing to do well nationally in the aftermath of his McCain criticism, with 28% of registered voters who identify as Republican listing him as their preferred nominee.

However, those same Republican voters also continued to say by a large margin that they expected Bush to actually win the nomination, a question that often has more value as a forecasting tool.

From appearances along the U.S.-Mexico border to town halls in New Hampshire, Trump has amassed attention from throngs of media and invigorated supporters whom he calls a “silent majority” those upset with, among other things, illegal immigration and career politicians.

As it stands, Trump will be invited to the Aug. 6 debate in Cleveland hosted by Fox News because he’s in the top 10 based on national polls of the 16 Republicans seeking the party’s presidential nomination.