The Pew Research Center has released its latest polling data on how Republicans view the current 2016 GOP field. Almost 60 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning voters “say they have an excellent or good impression of their party’s presidential candidates.”  This is up from just 44 percent during the equivalent phase of the election cycle in 2011, and up from 50 percent in 2007. Mike Huckabee has the highest percentage (54 percent) of favorable ratings among Republicans polled.  Rand Paul and Jeb Bush are tied for second place at 52 percent, with Marco Rubio in fourth at 51 percent.  Scott Walker and Ted Cruz are at 46 and 45 percent, respectively. Walker has the lowest percentage of unfavorable ratings, followed closely by Rubio.  At the other end, Bush has by far the largest unfavorable rating, with Cruz, Paul, and Huckabee effectively tied, with each having about a quarter of respondents ranking them unfavorable. Taking...(Read Full Post)