Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton could both face tough losses in Wisconsin’s Republican and Democratic primaries next week, a new poll suggests.
The latest Public Policy Polling survey of Wisconsin voters finds the front-runners for each party’s presidential nomination polling in second place in the final week before ballots are cast in the Badger State.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz barely edges Trump (38 to 37 percent) among Wisconsin Republicans, while Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders carries a six-point lead over Clinton on the Democratic side.
The survey found that Cruz carries an eight-point lead over Trump in a head-to-head matchup in which Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who is polling at 17 percent, is excluded from the race. According to the survey, Kasich’s supporters prefer Cruz to Trump 51 to 19 percent.
While Kasich and Cruz are both viewed favorably among most GOP voters in Wisconsin, Trump is the only GOP candidate with a net-negative favorability rating. Forty-five percent of voters hold a positive view of the Republican front-runner, compared with 48 percent who do not.
Cruz, who held a double-digit lead over Trump in another Wisconsin poll released Wednesday, also edges Trump among very conservative voters (52 to 32 percent) and among Republican women (39 to 32 percent). Trump continues to lead the Texas senator among women (40 to 36 percent).
On the Democratic side, Sanders’ support among independent voters is more than double Clinton’s, giving him a significant advantage in Wisconsin’s open primary. The socialist senator also leads Clinton among voters under age 45 (65 to 28 percent), among men (56 to 39 percent) and among very liberal voters (59 to 37 percent).
Meanwhile, the former secretary of state carries a 33-point lead over Sanders among seniors.
The survey of 1,397 registered Wisconsin voters, including 768 Republicans and 720 Democrats, was conducted March 28-29. Results contain an overall margin of error plus or minus 2.6 percent.
