Former reality-television host Donald Trump continues to enjoy a wide lead over the rest of the Republican field, according to a nationwide Quinnipiac poll released Wednesday.
The poll showed support for Trump at 43 percent, followed by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) at 29 percent and Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) at 16 percent. This indicates a slight gain for Trump, who stood at 39 percent in the previous Quinnipiac poll in February.
In that February poll, Cruz and Kasich stood at 18 percent and 6 percent respectively. This latest poll shows that they have successfully consolidated the support made available by the departures of Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Dr. Ben Carson from the race. Nevertheless, Cruz and Kasich show little sign of denying Trump the considerable lead he has enjoyed in virtually every national poll since the fall.
TPM’s PollTracker Average shows Trump at 45.5 percent, Cruz at 23.5 percent and Kasich at 14.6 percent.
The Quinnipiac poll was taken from Mar. 16-21 by live telephone interviews. Pollsters surveyed 652 registered voters likely to vote in the Republican primary, with a margin of error of 3.8 percentage points.
