New Poll Shows Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton Ahead in Massachusetts

With just days to go, the national frontrunners lead in the Bay State.

Attorney General Maura Healey, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Mayor Marty Walsh. Photo by Sarah Fisher

Attorney General Maura Healey, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Mayor Marty Walsh. Photo by Sarah Fisher

A new poll from WBUR and the MassINC Polling Group found New York real estate mogul Donald Trump holds a commanding lead over his rivals in the Republican presidential primary. Trump leads the field with 40 percent of the vote, while Florida Senator Marco Rubio and Ohio Governor John Kasich are locked in a dead heat for second place with 19 percent of the vote. Texas Senator Ted Cruz and retired neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson trail with ten and five percent of the vote, respectively.

Not only only does the new poll show Trump way ahead, it also shows him with the highest favorability rating of any Republican candidate in the race:

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The live telephone survey of 386 likely Republican primary voters, which included a margin of error of 4.9 +/-, found Republicans trust Trump the most on every issue of consequence this cycle, including immigration and the economy:

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The new poll confirms what seemed clear on Monday after an Emerson Polling Society poll showed Trump with 50 percent of the vote. Discussions with high-level Bay State Republicans in both the moderate and conservative camps of the state party this week revealed a sense of resignation and a frustration at Trump’s rise in the polls here and nationally. They now face a twofold tough decision: whether or not to attend the Republican National Convention and whether or not to support Trump in the fall in the general election, both of which could be harmful for them locally, should Trump not remain the face of the party.

On the Democratic side of things, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton now leads Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders in Massachusetts, 49-44. Strangely enough, Sanders actually pulls a higher favorability rating than Clinton.

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(One of the most striking local takeaway from this new poll? Republican Governor Charlie Baker is more popular among Democrats than Democratic Senator Ed Markey.)

On the issue of experience, Massachusetts Democrats indicated they are evenly split on whether they want a change agent as president, or “someone with the right experience to be president.”

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The live poll of 418 likely voters in the Massachusetts Democratic primary contained a margin of error of 4.9 +/-.  Respondents to the poll found Sanders trailing Clinton on many of the key issues of the day, but tied with her on the issue of improving the economy and creating jobs. Sanders received high marks for campaign finance reform and income inequality.

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