Is Donald Trump really the least electable GOP candidate?
There is abundant skepticism among the Republican establishment that Donald Trump could win a general election against Hillary Clinton. And according to a new CNN poll, Trump would, in fact, lose a head-to-head matchup against the Democratic frontrunner -- but other GOP candidates would fare just as badly or worse.
The survey, released Wednesday, showed Trump trailing Clinton by only six percentage points, 45 to 51 percent, in a hypothetical race. But former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, a favorite of the GOP establishment, was even further behind Clinton, earning only 43 percent to her 52 percent. Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, surging after a strong first debate performance, fell 10 points behind Clinton, 43 to 53 percent. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, for his part, trailed Clinton 46 to 52 percent.
In results from the same poll released Tuesday, Trump held a wide lead over the rest of the GOP primary field, earning 24 percent among Republican voters nationwide. Bush came in second with 13 percent, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson came in third with nine percent, and Walker came in fourth with eight percent.
The poll surveyed 1,001 people between August 13 and 16, and results compiled from the full sample have a margin of error of plus or minus three percent.