Trump, Clinton lead in Connecticut

by Jesse Byrnes - 10/13/15 7:36 AM ET

Donald Trump leads in the race for the Republican presidential nomination in Connecticut but trails in matchups with top Democratic candidates, according to a new poll.

Trump is supported by 34 percent of registered Republicans in the state, followed by retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson with 14 percent and businesswoman Carly Fiorina at 11 percent, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Tuesday morning.

{mosads}All other GOP candidates receive single-digit support, including Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.) at 7 percent and Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas) and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush with 6 percent apiece.

A quarter of Republicans surveyed, 25 percent, said they would “definitely not” support Trump — the highest percentage for any candidate. Twenty-two percent said they would definitely not support Bush.

On the Democratic side, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton leads with the support of 37 percent of registered Democrats in Connecticut, followed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) at 25 percent and Vice President Biden at 18 percent.

If Biden opts not to enter the Democratic presidential race, Clinton would go to 47 percent, while Sanders would tick upward to 29 percent support. Sixteen percent of Democrats surveyed said they would “definitely not” vote for Clinton, who is at the top of that list.

Biden performs the best in hypothetical general election matchups, holding an 11-point lead over Carson, a 17-point lead over Fiorina and an 18-point edge over Trump. Clinton leads Carson by 2 points, Fiorina by 5 points and Trump by 7 points.

Sanders, a self-proclaimed Democratic socialist who has emerged as Clinton’s main foil in the Democratic race, also polls well against top Republicans in Connecticut, leading Carson by 3 points, Fiorina by 5 points and Trump by 9 points.

The survey of 1,735 registered voters was conducted Oct. 7-11 via landlines and cell phones with a margin of error of 2.4 points. The survey of 464 Republicans and 610 Democrats has a margin of error of 4.6 points and 4 points, respectively.