Washington Free Beacon reporter Elizabeth Harrington appeared on Fox News Friday to break down the surge of Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas) in Iowa as the jockeying for the 2016 Republican nomination continues.
Both Cruz and Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) have moved up in polls in Iowa, moving to 23 and 13 percent apiece in a Quinnipiac survey, while Ben Carson has seen a downturn to 18 percent. Businessman Donald Trump remains atop the leaders at 25 percent but has seen his advantage diminish to just two points over Cruz. Harrington said Cruz stood to gain the most from Carson's fall in polling.
"I think he's the natural heir for Carson supporters, especially in a state like Iowa," she said. "This really has been the year of the outsider, and Cruz is the outsider in the Senate. Ever since he's been there, he's been very combative against the establishment. He's very combative with his own leadership, and so I think Cruz is naturally in that position to take the support."
The Paris terrorist attacks by Islamic State and the renewed focus on foreign policy showed Carson might be in over his head, Harrington added.
"I think it's a major concern for voters and all across the world right now," Harrington said. "You have World War III trending on Twitter as we speak. Clearly, it's a big issue that Republicans can contrast themselves with President Obama and with Hillary Clinton because she's really going to be tied to a lot of the president's foreign policy positions."