Polls: Tight Dems race in Nevada, nationally; Clinton, Trump lead in S.C.
Democrats are in a tight race for Nevada, with a less suspenseful landscape for both party primaries in South Carolina, according to a new slate of polls released just days before the nation's next nominating contests.
A CNN/ORC survey released Wednesday shows likely Democratic caucus-goers in Nevada are evenly split between the two candidates. Hillary Clinton garners 48 percent support, compared to 47 percent for Bernie Sanders.
Clinton has a slight advantage with women in the state, and Sanders draws in more support among voters under the age of 55.
With Nevada's caucuses scheduled for Saturday, Sanders ability to turn out voters who don't normally participate in the caucus process -- much like in Iowa earlier this month -- could make the difference for him.
For Republicans in Nevada, where the party will hold its caucuses on Feb. 23, Trump holds a commanding lead with 45 percent of those likely to caucus. Marco Rubio comes in at 19 percent and Ted Cruz at 17 percent. Ben Carson has seven percent of the vote, John Kasich has 5 percent and Jeb Bush languishes at just one percent.
Meanwhile, in South Carolina, Clinton still leads Sanders by a wide margin. According to another CNN/ORC poll, 56 percent of likely Democratic primary voters have thrown their weight behind Clinton, compared to 38 percent for Sanders. The former secretary's base of support comes largely from the state's minority voters: Among black voters, Clinton has a 65-28 percent advantage, and among women her lead is 60-33 percent.
Donald Trump has a bit of his edge in the state since CBS News' Saturday debate among the GOP candidates, but he still dominates with 38 percent support, followed by Cruz at 22 percent, Rubio at 14 percent and Bush at 10 percent. Carson and Kasich clock in with single-digit support, with 6 percent and 4 percent respectively. In a survey conducted before the debate, however, Trump had a wider advantage over the field at 42 percent, compared to Cruz, his closest rival, at 23 percent.
A Monmouth University poll also out Wednesday reflects a similarly wide lead for Trump in South Carolina. Thirty-five percent of likely Republican primary voters would support the billionaire, while 19 percent favor Cruz and 17 percent are for Rubio. The three lowest-polling candidates are Kasich (9 percent), Bush (8 percent), and Carson (7 percent).
The Republican primary in the Palmetto State is Saturday, while the Democratic primary will be held one week later, on Feb. 27.
Nationally, a new Quinnipiac poll has Trump with a whopping lead over his competition by a 2-1 margin. The billionaire leads with 39 percent among Republican voters nationwide, with Rubio trailing in a distant second with 19 percent support and Cruz in third with 18 percent. Six percent of GOP voters favor Kasich, with Bush and Carson each at four percent. Nine percent of the electorate remain undecided.
Among Democrats nationwide, Clinton and Sanders remain neck-and-neck. Clinton has 44 percent of the vote, with Sanders at 42 percent. Eleven percent of Democrats are still undecided.
The CNN/ORC Nevada Poll was conducted by phone Feb. 10-15 among a random sample of 1,006 adult residents. Results among the 245 likely Republican caucus-goers have a margin of error of percentage points. For results among the 282 likely Democratic primary voters, it is 6 percentage points. In South Carolina, CNN/ORC surveyed 1,006 residents: 404 likely Republican primary voters and 280 likely Democratic primary voters. For Republicans, the margin of error was 5 percentage points; for Democrats, it was 6 percentage points. Monmouth's South Carolina poll surveyed 400 likely South Carolina Republican primary voters, with a margin of error of 4.9 percent.
The Quinnipiac poll, conducted via land lines and cell phones from Feb. 10-15, had a nationwide margin of error of 2.7 percentage points.