Trump Holds Massive Lead In Nevada Poll

While the new CNN/ORC poll shows Bernie Sanders giving Hillary Clinton a real contest in Nevada, the same poll shows that Donald Trump is running away with the race on the Republican side:

The Republican side seems set for less suspense when that party holds caucuses on Tuesday, February 23. The poll finds businessman Donald Trump holding a wide lead, topping the field with the support of 45% of those likely to caucus. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz are closely matched in the race for second place, with Rubio at 19% and Cruz at 17%. Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson (7%), Ohio Gov. John Kasich (5%) and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (1%) lag well behind those three.

Nearly 6-in-10 likely GOP caucusgoers say they have definitely decided whom to support, with about one-quarter still trying to make up their minds.

As in the South Carolina poll, Trump dominates the field on handling top issues, including the economy (61% trust Trump most), illegal immigration (58% Trump), ISIS (55% Trump) and foreign policy (42% Trump). He holds a smaller edge over Cruz and Rubio on handling social issues — 28% say Trump would handle those best, 21% Cruz and 20% Rubio.

As with the Democratic race, it’s worth keeping in mind that polling Nevada has proven to be historically difficult and that there has been very little polling in the state this time around to compare this number to, so we can’t say for sure whether this number is close to being an accurate measure of Trump’s support headed into Tuesday’s caucus. That being said, these numbers are entirely consistent with the Republican race nationally and in other states so there’s no reason to reject them out of hand. If they hold up, then Trump is set to win three of the four contests in February and find himself very well situated for the battle that will take place on Super Tuesday and beyond.

FILED UNDER: 2016 Election, Public Opinion Polls, US Politics, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Doug Mataconis
About Doug Mataconis
Doug Mataconis held a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University and J.D. from George Mason University School of Law. He joined the staff of OTB in May 2010 and contributed a staggering 16,483 posts before his retirement in January 2020. He passed far too young in July 2021.

Comments

  1. Mu says:

    Technical question: The Republicans have a “must win 8 states to be nominated” rule in place. Can they wave that if the only one to qualify is Trump but he doesn’t have a majority of delegates?

  2. Obbop says:

    Most of the military veterans I know support Trump. That same cohort is also ready to take up arms to stop the ongoing invasion of the once-sovereign USA across the southern border. There is also immense anger at the purposeful FORCING of unwanted by We the People Muslim immigrants who are not fitting into Western society as is well-evidenced by ongoing affairs in Europe along with the too-many news reports inside the USA regarding Muslims murdering Americans and attempts at doing so and being caught in their evil preparations.

    Many wonder about the necessity for a Revolutionary War Two.

  3. Mikey says:

    @Obbop:

    Many wonder about the necessity for a Revolutionary War Two.

    Nobody worth listening to.

  4. al-Ameda says:

    @Obbop:

    Many wonder about the necessity for a Revolutionary War Two.

    Go ahead, please secede from the Union. Hopefully, this time cooler heads will prevail and no effort will be made to prevent you from leaving.