GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump has widened his national lead in the 2016 Republican presidential contest to 15 points over Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, picking up 5 points of support in the wake of his wins in New Hampshire and South Carolina in a new poll.
Mr. Trump was at 36 percent support among likely Republican primary voters in the national poll from Rasmussen Reports released Tuesday. Mr. Rubio was at 21 percent and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas was in third place at 17 percent.
A Rasmussen survey taken after the Iowa caucuses but before the New Hampshire primary had Mr. Trump at 31 percent, followed by Mr. Rubio at 21 percent and Mr. Cruz at 20 percent. Mr. Trump finished in second in Iowa to Mr. Cruz and easily won in New Hampshire.
The new survey was taken on Sunday and Monday — after Mr. Trump’s winon Saturday in South Carolina.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich was at 12 percent in the survey released Tuesday, up 6 points from three weeks ago. Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson was at 8 percent, up 3 points.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who announced on Saturday he was suspending his campaign after a fourth-place finish in South Carolina, had been at 4 percent in the previous poll.
In the survey released Tuesday, 71 percent of Republican voters said they favor building a wall along the U.S. Mexico-border. Mr. Trump has repeatedly pledged to build such a wall and get Mexico to pay for it.
Of those voters, Mr. Trump was well in the lead at 43 percent, better than 20 points ahead of both Mr. Cruz and Mr. Rubio.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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