Trump "juggernaut" laps the GOP field: He surged to a 2-1 lead over Cruz in latest national poll

Looks like we'll still have Donald Trump to kick around for a long, long while

Published February 17, 2016 3:11PM (EST)

  (AP/Lance Iversen)
(AP/Lance Iversen)

In the latest Quinnipiac University Poll, released this morning, GOP front-runner Donald Trump not only showed no signs of slowing -- his "juggernaut" is pulling away from the Republican pack, as he surged to a 2-1 lead nationally over his closest competitor, Texas Senator Ted Cruz.

Thirty-nine percent of Republican voters nationwide now say they support Trump, compared to the only 19 percent for Cruz, 6 percent for Ohio Governor John Kasich, and 4 percent each for former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson.

Florida Senator Marco Rubio's precipitous slide continued, as the man who once had the support of 19 percent of the Republican electorate barely registered in the latest poll.

According to Tim Malloy, Quinnipiac University Poll's assistant director, "[r]eports of Donald Trump's imminent demise as a candidate are clearly and greatly exaggerated. Like a freight train barreling through signals with his horn on full blast, Trump heads down the track towards a possible nomination."

He did caution, however, that while "Trump's raw numbers are formidable...he trails the pack on some of the 'from the gut' character measurements" that are likely to become a factor later in the election.

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By Scott Eric Kaufman

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2016 Gop Primary Aol_on Ben Carson Donald Trump Elections 2016 Jeb Bush John Kasich Marco Rubio Ted Cruz