Donald Trump Behind Cruz, 40-30 Percent, In New Wisconsin Poll As Supporters Back Off
Donald Trump is trailing Ted Cruz badly in a brand-new Wisconsin poll, 40 percent to 30 percent.
Marquette University Law School poll of Wisconsin:
Cruz 40
Trump 30
Kasich 21— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) March 30, 2016
Conducted by Marquette University, the poll also shoots Cruz ahead of Trump in the Real Clear Politics average of polls for Wisconsin.
The poll shows a clear gain in support for Cruz from the previous Marquette poll, conducted February 18-21. Between these two polls, Cruz more than doubled his support from 19 percent to 40 percent, while Donald Trump remained at 30 percent. John Kasich also saw his support increase, from eight percent to 21 percent.
Politico reported on the ramifications of this poll in Cruz’s attempt to catch Trump in the delegate race.
“A double-digit victory for Cruz would likely result in a big delegate haul for the Texas senator: The state will award 15 delegates to the statewide winner. And a margin that great could lead to a near-sweep of the state’s eight congressional districts — each of which will award three additional delegates to the winner.”
The poll further found that 70 percent of respondents viewed Trump negatively, and that 56 percent would be “very uncomfortable” with him as president.
There were 471 respondents to the poll, with a margin of error of 5.8 percent.
Bad Timing For Trump
The just-released poll was conducted March 24-28, and so would not have been affected by last night’s Republican Town Hall. At that event, CNN host Anderson Cooper humiliated Trump in a heated exchange about his and Ted Cruz’s wives when he accused Trump of acting like “a five-year-old.”
Anderson Cooper shuts down Donald Trump: “With all due respect, ‘He started it!’ is the argument of a five-year-old"https://t.co/3A8RwG6Uev
— Salon (@Salon) March 30, 2016
The poll also was conducted before Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker endorsed Cruz yesterday, as reported by USA Today.
Trump’s support could take an additional hit in the next few days with the news of more violence at one of his campaign rallies. As Inquisitr reported today, a 15-year-old girl who came to protest Trump was allegedly sexually assault and then pepper-sprayed.
However, the Marquette poll may have been influenced to some degree by Trump’s radio interview with Charlie Sykes, which went viral.
Trump Supporters Struggling
The Marquette poll also comes in the midst of news that nationally known supporters of Trump are struggling with “The Donald.”
In a podcast with Breitbart News, syndicated columnist and Trump supporter Ann Coulter compared supporting him to “constantly having to bail out your 16-year-old son from prison,” citing Trump’s much-criticized tweet of his and Ted Cruz’s wife.
"@Don_Vito_08: "A picture is worth a thousand words" @realDonaldTrump #LyingTed #NeverCruz @MELANIATRUMP pic.twitter.com/5bvVEwMVF8"
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 24, 2016
Newt Gingrich also reacted negatively to the tweet on Hannity.
“Tweeting about, or repeating a tweet about, Mrs. Cruz is just utterly stupid. It has frankly, weakened everything that Trump ought to be strengthening. It sent a signal to women that is negative, at a time when his numbers with women are already bad. It sent a signal of instability to people who may be beginning to say, ‘Maybe I’ve got to get used to it, maybe I’ve got to rely on him, maybe he could be presidential.’ And frankly, it energized Cruz.”
Gingrich has not formally endorsed Trump.
And as was reported by Inquisitr, Stephanie Cegielski, former communications director of the Make America Great Again Super PAC, published an “open letter” where she regaled Trump.
“The hard truth is: Trump only cares about Trump.
“And if you are one of the disaffected voters — one of the silent majority like me — who wanted a candidate who could be your voice, I want to speak directly to you as one of his biggest advocates and supporters.
“He is not that voice. He is not your voice. He is only Trump’s voice.”
News of the Marquette poll follows a March 27 California poll by the Los Angeles Times that shows Trump with a slim, one percent lead over Cruz in the “Golden State.”
Back To Wisconsin
The Wisconsin primary takes place on Tuesday, April 5, and there are 42 delegates at stake. If the Marquette poll is a harbinger of things to come, it will represent an opportunity for Cruz to gain on Trump’s lead in the delegate count.
Donald Trump currently has 736 delegates, to 363 for Ted Cruz and 143 for Kasich.
[Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images]
