Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump lead in the first statewide poll of Indiana released on Friday before the state’s pivotal May 3 primary, but both races are close.
On the Republican side, Trump holds a six-point lead over his closest challenger, Ted Cruz, leading the Texas senator 37-31, followed by John Kasich with 22 percent. The WTHRI/HPI poll indicated that a “record turnout” of Indiana Republicans could help Trump secure a win in the state’s primary.
A loss in Indiana would make it more difficult for Trump to gain the 1,237 delegates he needs to win the Republican presidential nomination on the first ballot at the convention. A win would be a huge setback for Cruz, who is already counting on a contested convention rather than the primaries to become the nominee.
In the Democratic primary, Clinton and Sanders are in a virtual tie, as the former secretary of state leads the Democratic socialist by three points, 48-45, within the margin of error. The Vermont senator has so far done well in Midwestern states, especially when they are heavily white.
Sanders needs to win about 72 percent of the remaining pledged delegates to overtake Clinton’s lead.
The poll was conducted from April 18-21 among 500 likely voters in the state and has a four-point margin of error.
