Donald Trump has twice the level of support nationwide compared to his two nearest Republican rivals, and Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are virtually tied, according to a new poll.
In a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday, Trump saw his lead grow by eight points to 39 percent. Following the billionaire businessman are Florida Sen. Marco Rubio with 19 percent support, unchanged since the poll’s last interaction earlier this month, which was taken before the New Hampshire primary.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz follows in third with 18 percent, down 4 points from the last poll. Ohio Gov. John Kasich (6 percent), former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (4 percent) and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson (4 percent) follow Cruz.
“Reports of Donald Trump’s imminent demise as a candidate are clearly and greatly exaggerated,” Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University poll, said in a statement.
The same poll shows Hillary Clinton with the support of 44 percent of Democrats, and Sen. Bernie Sanders is close behind at 42 percent. Those numbers are unchanged from the last poll, although Clinton still has a healthy lead in many state-level polls.
On the GOP side, Trump’s lead is overshadowed by flagging numbers when it comes to honesty, trustworthiness and empathy.
Rubio is seen as the most honest and trustworthy candidate in the field at 72 percent, compared to 62 percent for Cruz and 60 percent for Trump. Seventy-three percent also say Rubio cares about their problems, compared to 67 percent for Cruz and 62 percent for Trump.
Additionally, 70 percent say Rubio shares their values, compared to 67 percent for Cruz and 60 percent for Trump.
The poll of 602 Republicans was conducted Feb. 10-15 and carries a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
