Another poll shows Donald Trump preserving his lead in New Hampshire despite controversy surrounding his call for a ban on Muslim entry to the U.S., while challenger Chris Christie’s has ridden a wave of recent momentum to second place and support for Ben Carson continues to slide.
According to the new poll from WBUR in Boston, Trump remains in first place with the support of 27% of likely Republican primary voters.
But New Jersey Governor Christie has surged into second place at 12% on the back of an endorsement from the New Hampshire Union Leader newspaper and a singular focus on campaigning in the first primary state.
Meanwhile, support for retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson is in free-fall, registering just 6%, down 7 points from a WBUR poll in mid-November. The slide comes as Carson’s campaign has struggled with foreign policy and media scrutiny.
Rounding out the top five, Marco Rubio is in third place with 11% support, followed closely by Ted Cruz in fourth place at 10%, and Jeb Bush in fifth place at 8%.
Of the remaining candidates, John Kasich follows at 6%, tied with Carson, and ahead of Carly Fiorina at 3%, Rand Paul at 2%, and Mike Huckabee at 1%. No other candidate registers support above 1%.
WBUR’s poll was conducted among 402 likely Republican primary voters in New Hampshire between Sunday, December 6 and Tuesday, December 8. Donald Trump made his controversial call for a ban on Muslims coming to the U.S. on Monday, December 7, midway through the polling.
