Poll: Donald Trump Ahead 18 Points in New Hampshire, Marco Rubio Takes Second

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GOP frontrunner Donald Trump came in 18 points ahead of the rest of the GOP field in a recent New Hampshire poll. Donald Trump and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) are gaining ground in New Hampshire, according to a new CNN/WMUR poll.

Trump increased six points since September, reaching 32 percent, while Rubio is up five points with 14 percent.

“That 18-point lead is almost double the 10-point lead Trump held in September over businesswoman Carly Fiorina,” reports CNN.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie came in third place in the poll with nine percent, and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush ranked fourth with eight percent. Ohio Gov. John Kasich received seven percent, and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) reached six percent.

Carly Fiorina, who dropped 11 points since September, came in with five percent, along with Dr. Ben Carson.

“The poll was conducted almost entirely before Trump issued a policy statement calling for a temporary ban on allowing Muslims who are not U.S. citizens to enter the country,” notes CNN.

Six in 10 likely Republican voters say that Trump is likely to win in the New Hampshire GOP primary, and 34 percent say he has the best chance at winning the White House.

The poll found that 50 percent of respondents said that foreign policy and national security is a top issue. Trump is viewed at being the best candidate to handle the Islamic State (ISIS).

Trump is also the clear leader “on taxes and spending,” with 36 percent of voters saying Trump is the best candidate to handle taxes, and 42 percent saying he is best to tackle government spending.

Rubio was found to be the most favorable candidate, “with 61% holding a positive view of him and 23% unfavorable.”

The CNN/WMUR poll was taken from November 30th to December 7th by telephone. The sample includes 954 New Hampshire residents, with 402 of those voters saying they plan to vote in the Republican presidential primary. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.9 percent.

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