As much as it is desperately trying, the Republican establishment appears powerless to stop Donald Trump,
a new Rasmussen Reports poll reveals.
That's because GOP voters feel even more strongly that they will support Trump, the Republican presidential front-runner, if he runs as an independent — as he has threatened to do should the GOP establishment cross him, according to Rasmussen.
The poll, conducted March 6 to 7, found 36 percent of likely Republican voters are likely to vote for Trump if he runs as a third-party presidential candidate.
That figure is unchanged from last July when Rasmussen first asked the question, but it now includes 24 percent who say they are "very likely" to vote for Trump if he runs independently. That's up six points from 18 percent in the previous survey.
The poll's margin of sampling error is +/- 3 points.
The New Jersey-based Rasmussen Reports is a nonpartisan electronic media company specializing in the collection, publication and distribution of public opinion polling information.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.