GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump has opened a big lead over rival Republican candidate Ted Cruz among likely Indiana primary voters, according to NBC News/WSJ/Marist poll released Sunday.
Trump received 49 percent of likely Republican voters’ support. Cruz followed with 34 percent and Ohio Gov. John Kasich finished with 13 percent.
Trump is in position to win most of Indiana’s 57 delegates with a strong showing in the state.
That would be a “big prize toward winning the nomination outright,” Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion said in a statement.
Trump’s significant jump among Hoosiers comes nearly a week after winning five primary states. The front-running candidate has locked in 1,001 delegates.
Cruz has repeatedly said none of the three Republicans will make it to the required 1,237 delegates. But on Saturday, Cruz backpedaled, claiming Indiana would be “critical” to winning the nomination.
Cruz announced Wednesday the appointment of Carly Fiorina as his running mate. The move was meant to rally Hoosiers after last week’s losses made it mathematically impossible for him to hit 1,237 delegates by July.
The Texas senator had been within striking distance of the GOP front-runner until last week, when Cruz and Kasich teamed up in an effort to steal Trump supporters in Indiana and California.
Kasich had pledged not to campaign in Indiana, leaving Cruz to lock down more voters. The moderate governor was tasked with campaigning in Oregon and New Mexico, whose primaries are not until May 17 and June 7, respectively.
But the plan backfired for Kasich, who saw a five-point decrease when comparing his performance in Sunday’s poll to a RealClearPolitics average.
The Indiana state primary will take place Tuesday. The poll, conducted April 26-28, had a 3.9 percent margin of error and does not indicate how voters feel about Cruz’s vice presidential pick.
