Celebrity billionaire Donald Trump has a comfortable lead in the race for the Republican nomination in Michigan, while Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) narrowly leads Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) for second place, according to a Monmouth poll released Monday.
The poll showed support for Trump at 36 percent, while Cruz stood at 23 percent and Kasich at 21 percent. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) trailed at 13 percent. There is no earlier Monmouth polling in the state for comparison, but these results are in line with a number of polls taken in the previous week that showed Kasich overtaking Rubio.
The results of the Monmouth poll also reflect several dynamics shown in national polling of the Republican primary. Most saliently, little seems to threaten Trump, who has had a consistent double-digit lead in the polls for months. Kasich also seems to be the beneficiary of Rubio’s campaign troubles, although his profile as governor of a large midwestern state bordering Michigan may also contribute to his improved showing in the state.
TPM’s PollTracker Average shows Trump at 37.6 percent in Michigan, followed by Kasich at 22.6 percent, Cruz at 20.1 percent and Rubio at 10.6 percent.
The Monmouth poll was carried out from March 3-6. Pollsters conducted live interviews with 402 people likely to vote in the Republican primary, with a margin of error of 4.9 percentage points.
