News / Politics

Ted Cruz overtakes Donald Trump in a new national poll

Thursday, 18 February 2016 1:19 PM [ Last Update: Thursday, 18 February 2016 1:36 PM ]

Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump (R) and Ted Cruz (L) argue during the CBS News Republican Presidential Debate in Greenville, South Carolina, February 13, 2016. (AFP photo)

US Republican presidential hopeful Ted Cruz has dethroned Donald Trump to become the party’s new front-runner in the race for presidency, according to a new national poll.

In the NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released on Thursday, the Texas senator scored 28 percent support among Republican primary voters, overtaking the New York businessman by a 2 percent lead, at 26 percent.

Florida Senator Marco Rubio trailed behind Trump by 17 percent, followed by Ohio Governor John Kasich, former neurosurgeon Ben Carson and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush with 17, 11, 10 and 4 percent support respectively.

The poll, conducted after Trump's decisive victory in New Hampshire and his performance in Saturday's GOP debate in South Carolina, marked a significant drop in support for the real-estate mogul, who last month held a 13-point lead over Cruz, 33 percent to 20 percent.

The analysts behind the poll said the drop might be indicative of a turning point for the GOP field.

"When you see a number this different, it means you might be right on top of a shift in the campaign. What you don't know yet is if the change is going to take place or if it is a momentary 'pause' before the numbers snap back into place," said Republican pollster Bill McInturff, who conducted the survey.

The new results however are in stark contrast with those of other national polls that almost unanimously project Trump far ahead of the pack, holding a commanding lead.

A Quinnipiac University national poll that was released Wednesday, for example, stated that the reality TV star enjoys a double-digit lead over his rivals at 39 percent, holding a 20-point lead over Rubio.

In that poll, Cruz dropped four points to third place with 18 percent.

State-wide polls from both Nevada and South Carolina, the next stops in presidential primaries and caucuses, also confirm these findings.

According to a CNN/ORC released Wednesday, Trump led the GOP field with 45 percent support in Nevada, where the next caucuses are slated to be held this weekend.

In South Carolina a survey by the Public Policy Polling showed Monday that Trump had a 17-point lead over his closest competitors.

Primary Republican voters in South Carolina will cast their votes next Sunday, while Democrats will vote on February 27.

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