Donald Trump has been able to increase his lead over Sen. Ted Cruz in Iowa, according to a new poll that shows Cruz has faded over the last week.
Trump leads Cruz 31 percent-24 percent in a new new Quinnipiac poll, a 7-point lead that shows support for Cruz may be slipping, after a much closer 31 percent-29 percent poll just a week earlier.
Sen. Marco Rubio seems to be surging as Cruz fades. Rubio won 17 percent in the latest poll, up from 13 percent a week earlier.
“Trump holds his own, while Sen. Ted Cruz seems to lose momentum in this final Quinnipiac University poll, finished less than 24 hours before the caucuses begin. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida is showing some last-minute strength, raising the longshot possibility he could challenge for second place,” Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll, said in a statement.
The poll said first-time caucus-goers in the Hawkeye State are fueling Trump, as well as Sen. Bernie Sanders. Sanders has a three-point lead over former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, 49 percent to 46 percent.
In the poll, 44 percent of Republicans and 38 percent of Democrats say this is their first caucus.
“The size of the turnout tonight will likely be the key factor, especially on the Democratic side,” Brown said. “High turnouts with lots of new caucus participants likely would mean a good night for Sen. Bernie Sanders, and for Donald Trump.”
The telephone poll of 890 likely Iowa Republican caucus-goers carries a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points, and the telephone poll of 919 Iowa likely Democratic caucus-goers carries a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.
