Ted Cruz is leading Republican front-runner Donald Trump by double digits in Indiana heading in to next Tuesday’s primary, according to a state poll released on Friday afternoon.
Cruz leads Trump by 16 points, 45-29 percent, among registered voters in the state according to a poll released by the Mike Downs Center for Indiana Politics. Underdog candidate John Kasich follows in third place with 13 percent of the vote, while another 13 percent of voters remain undecided.
While these numbers may be favorable for Cruz, they do not match the other polls that have come out of the state in recent days showing Trump leading the field.
Indiana’s primary is seen as an important opportunity to keep Trump below 1,237 delegates and force a contested convention. Otherwise, Trump will continue the momentum he gained in six blowout wins across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.
The polling center noted that voters’ preferences were not set in stone and much could change before Tuesday’s vote, as 17 percent of Cruz supporters, 30 percent of Trump supporters and 43 percent of Kasich supporters said their candidate preference was “not strong.”
On the Democratic side of the race, Hillary Clinton leads Bernie Sanders 55-40.3, with 4.8 percent of voters still undecided. Despite the former secretary of state’s apparent dominance in the state, the polling center doesn’t count Sanders out.
“While Clinton may have a lead, it should be remembered that Sanders has closed substantial leads in other states such as neighboring Michigan. With this in mind, Clinton’s support is stronger than Sanders’ support at this time,” said the statement accompanying the poll.
