GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump has topped 40 percent in a new national poll on the 2016 Republican presidential field, more than doubling the support for his nearest competitor.
Mr. Trump was at 41 percent in the CNN/ORC poll out Tuesday, followed by Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas at 19 percent.
Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida was next at 8 percent, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson was at 6 percent, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush was at 5 percent, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was at 4 percent, and other candidates were at 3 percent or less.
Mr. Trump was at 39 percent in a CNN/ORC poll in late December, while Mr. Cruz was at 18 percent, and Mr. Rubio and Mr. Carson were at 10 percent each.
In the new poll, 63 percent of Republicans said Mr. Trump has the best chance to win the general election in November, compared to 16 percent who said Mr. Cruz and 10 percent who chose Mr. Rubio.
And 56 percent of registered voters, including 68 percent of Republican voters, said they think Mr. Trump will win the GOP nomination for president.
SEE ALSO: Donald Trump has 2-point lead over Ted Cruz in Iowa: poll
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.