Campaign trail stops don't necessarily lead to high poll numbers
Town halls, rallies and other public events are key parts of the presidential campaign trail, but the number of days a candidate spends in a state doesn't necessarily correlate to high poll numbers, according to a CBS News analysis.
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, for example, spent 53 days in the key first caucus state of Iowa in which he held public events, but his presence in the Hawkeye state didn't do much to boost his low standing in the polls. The Republican launched his White House bid in late June and he ended his campaign in mid-November.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has been surging in Iowa, meanwhile, despite spending less time in the state - 32 days since he launched his campaign in March. A CBS News battleground tracker poll released Dec. 20 found 40 percent of likely GOP caucus goers support Cruz. Carly Fiorina has also spent 32 days in Iowa, but she's been registering in polls there in the single digits.
The Republican frontrunner, Donald Trump, has only spent 16 days in Iowa and came in second place in that recent poll with 31 percent support.
The survey also found Trump is ahead in New Hampshire with 32 percent support, and Cruz is trailing with 14 percent support.
According to the CBS analysis, Trump has only spent 12 days in New Hampshire and Cruz has spent 19. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, who ended his presidential campaign this past week, spent more time in New Hampshire than any of the other contenders: 48 days.
Fiorina and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush have each spent close to 30 days in the state, but haven't received much support either.
In South Carolina, another key early voting state, Trump received 38 percent support in the CBS poll, with Cruz in second place with 23 percent support. Trump has spent nine days in South Carolina and Cruz has been there for 15 days.
On the Democratic side, former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley has been in Iowa for 37 days, but he has barely registered in many national polls. Hillary Clinton was in Iowa for 30 days and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, spent 31 days there. A recent CBS battleground tracker poll found Clinton leading there with 50 percent support, 5 percentage points ahead of Sanders.
In New Hampshire, Clinton, O'Malley and Sanders have each been there for 21 days since they launched their campaigns. Sanders has pulled ahead of Clinton there with 56 percent support, 14 percentage points above Clinton.