Ohio Gov. John Kasich is 5 points behind Donald Trump in a new poll of his home state.
According to a new Quinnipiac University poll released early Tuesday, Trump takes has 31 percent followed by Kasich at 26 percent. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio follow with 21 percent and 13 percent.
Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson trails with 5 percent in the poll, which surveyed likely Ohio Republican primary participants. Another 5 percent remain undecided in the Buckeye State, whose primary is March 15.
“The Donald Trump train begins the three-week campaign for Ohio’s crucial delegates on the right track and holds a small lead over the Buckeye State’s own governor, John Kasich,” Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll, said in a release.
Thirty-eight percent of people who named a candidate said they may change their mind before the primary. Another 32 percent of GOP voters said they “would definitely not support” Trump, who has a 9 point lead among men over Kasich and a 1 point lead among women.
Despite trailing Trump overall, Kasich is still viewed as the most favorable candidates in Ohio at 77 percent. Rubio (62 percent) and Cruz (60 percent) follow, while just 57 percent view Trump favorably.
The telephone-based poll of 759 likely GOP primary voters was conducted Feb. 16-20 and carries a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.
