A new CNN/ORC International poll found Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump did not gain any supporters following the departures of Ben Carson and Sen. Marco Rubio from the GOP race earlier in March, but actually lost support since February.
Instead, all of the former candidates’ backers have jumped to Sen. Ted Cruz or Gov. John Kasich rather than rally behind the New York billionaire.
Carson and Rubio’s absence in the new March 17-20 poll left the cumulative 26 points they received in a Feb. 24-27 survey up for grabs this month.
Trump garnered 49 percent of conservative voters’ support in February, but slipped two points to 47 percent. Cruz more than doubled his amount of support from last month, jumping from 15 percent to 31 percent. The Texas senator picked up more than half of Carson and Rubio’s backers.
Kasich, who has consistently gained in the polls as candidates have dropped out, went from 1 percent in January to 6 percent in February and 17 percent in March. The Ohio governor won nearly half of Rubio and Carson’s supporters.
The poll had a 3 percent margin of error.
