For four weeks Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump and Ben Carson were in a virtual tie in the polls, however, a new
Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday shows Trump as the undisputed front-runner, Carson dropping to third place, and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio stealing second place.
According to the poll:
- Donald Trump, 27 percent;
- Marco Rubio, 17 percent;
- Ben Carson, 16 percent;
- Ted Cruz, 16 percent;
- Jeb Bush, 5 percent;
No other GOP candidate registers with more than 3 percent in the poll.
“Dr. Ben Carson, moving to center stage just one month ago, now needs some CPR. The Doctor sinks. The Donald soars. The GOP, 11 months from the election, has to be thinking, ‘This could be the guy,'" said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll.
He added, “It doesn’t seem to matter what he says or who he offends, whether the facts are contested or the ‘political correctness’ is challenged, Donald Trump seems to be wearing Kevlar.”
However, in terms of favorability, the poll shows that although Ben Carson has the highest favorability rating with 67 percent favorable, his 13 percent unfavorable brings his net score below Rubio's. Rubio's net favorability rating is the highest with 66 percent favorable and 8 percent unfavorable.
And, while 26 percent say they definitely will not vote for Trump, 59 percent of voters said he is not honest or trustworthy while 35 percent believe that he is.
On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton remains the clear front-runner and has even widened her lead over Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders by 30 points.
According to the poll:
- Hillary Clinton, 60 percent;
- Bernie Sanders, 30 percent;
- Martin O'Malley, 2 percent;
- Undecided, 6 percent;
Despite Hillary's lead, 60 percent of voters believe that she is not honest or trustworthy and 36 percent say she is. Among Democrats, 73 percent say she's honest and trustworthy while only 7 percent of Republicans agree.
Overall, 28 percent of voters say that Bernie Sanders is not honest or trustworthy and 59 percent believe that he is. Among Democrats, 78 percent say he's honest and trustworthy while only 39 percent of Republicans say the same.
In hypothetical head-to-head match ups:
- Clinton edges Rubio 45 to 44 points;
- Clinton leads Trump by 6 points;
- Clinton leads Cruz by 5 points;
- Clinton leads Carson by 3 points;
The leads are even wider in hypothetical head-to-head match ups with Sanders:
- Sanders is behind Rubio by 1 point;
- Sanders leads Trump by 8 points;
- Sanders leads Cruz by 10 points;
- Sanders leads Carson by 6 points;
The Quinnipiac University survey of 1,453 voters nationwide was conducted between. Nov. 23 and Nov. 30 and has a 2.6 percentage point margin of error. The poll of 672 Republicans has a 3.8 percentage point margin of error, and the survey of 573 Democrats has a 4.1 percentage point margin of error.