Poll: Donald Trump leads New Hampshire, with a four-way tie for second
With just over a week until New Hampshire voters cast their ballots in the state's first-in-the-nation primary, Donald Trump still tops the Republican field, with John Kasich and Jeb Bush surging to a virtual tie for second with Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, according to a new poll.
A Suffolk University poll released Thursday shows that of 500 New Hampshire residents "very likely" to vote in the Republican primary, 27 percent chose Donald Trump as their top candidate. The current GOP front-runner leads his closest opponent by at least 14 points: Kasich, rising to a second place finish, clocked in with 12 percent of support.
But Kasich is hardly alone in the second spot -- he's deadlocked with three other candidates. Less than a full percentage point behind him were Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (11.8 percent) and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (11.2 percent). All three candidates have seen their numbers rise since Suffolk's November survey, when Kasich and Cruz had about nine percent support, and Bush attracted almost eight percent. Trump, too, showed an increase in support from the 22 percent who chose him in November.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio has 10 percent support -- a slight drop from November, when he had 11 percent -- and six percent of likely GOP New Hampshire primary voters are backing New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. Former neurosurgeon Ben Carson comes in with just under five percent. He saw the most significant drop among Republicans in this poll -- he attracted 10 percent in November. Carly Fiorina sits at four percent.
No other candidates cleared two percent. Undecided voters seem to be choosing their candidates -- in November, 18 percent had not selected a candidate, compared with 12 percent in January.
Kasich and Bush are both fighting hard for Granite State voters. The Ohio governor, who has largely foregone the courtship of Iowans that will caucus in the nation's kickoff nominating contests on Feb. 1, openly admits the fate of his candidacy depends on a good finish in the New Hampshire primary.
"I really, really, really would like your vote," Kasich told potential voters at an event in New Boston, New Hampshire. "Cause I would like to go on with this message. And, if I get snuffed out in New Hampshire, it's ballgame over."