Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) has opened up a five-point lead over former reality-television host Donald Trump in his home state, according to a Monmouth poll released Monday.
The poll showed support for Kasich at 40 percent, followed by Trump at 35 percent. A wide gulf separated them both from the remaining Republican candidates, with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) at 15 percent and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) at 5 percent.
This is Monmouth’s first poll in Ohio, but the results are consistent with most polling from the month of March, which has shown Kasich either tied with or ahead of Trump. This reveals a significant shift in the Buckeye State, as for most of the fall and winter Trump, the Republican frontrunner nationwide, led there.
TPM’s PollTracker Average shows Kasich at 40.5 percent, followed by Trump at 37 percent, Cruz at 14.5 percent and Rubio at 3.3 percent.
The Monmouth poll was carried out from March 11-13 by live telephone interview. Pollsters surveyed 503 people likely to vote in the Republican primary, with a margin of error of 4.4 percentage points.
