Even if GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump falls short of the 1,237 delegates he needs to secure the party's nomination on a first ballot at this summer's Republican National Convention, most Republican voters think he should get the nomination anyway, a
new poll shows.
According to the
McClatchy-Marist poll, conducted between March 29-31 and released on Tuesday:
- 52 percent of Republicans want Trump if he has the most delegates;
- 40 percent disagree;
- 65 percent want only candidates who have run to be eligible;
- 29 percent disagree.
"There is clearly a sentiment on the part of a majority and even more among key groups that if he has the most going in but failed to secure it, he should still get the prize at the end," commented Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion in New York.
Meanwhile, most supporters for Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz do not believe the nomination should go to a person who did not run in the primary process, such as House Speaker Paul Ryan, who has insisted that he's not interested in being nominated:
- Cruz supporters: 25 percent say an outside candidate is acceptable;
- Trump supporters: 28 percent.
A gender gap also came into play over Trump being nominated even without enough delegates:
- Men: 57 percent of men support Trump being nominated;
- Women: 46 percent support Trump's nomination.
The poll also showed the divide in the party where the candidates are concerned:
- 85 percent of Trump supporters say he should get the nomination anyway;
- 62 percent of Cruz supporters want an alternative;
- 64 percent of Kasich want someone else.
This survey of 1,297 adults carried an overall 2.7-point margin of error. The sample included 1,066 registered voters, with a margin of error of 3 points; 444 Republicans, with a 4.7-point margin of error and 497 Democrats, with a 4.4-point margin of error.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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