Poll: Trump leads GOP field in Arizona

Donald Trump is the top pick among Arizona Republicans heading into Wednesday night’s second GOP presidential debate, a new poll finds.

Trump has 29.9 percent support in the Grand Canyon state, according to the survey from MBQF Consulting, a public affairs firm in Phoenix, released Wednesday morning.

Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson is second with 21.3 percent. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) round out the top five Republican hopefuls in the state.

{mosads}“Trump still leads the field by a comfortable margin, and his overall favorability rating is 49.2 percent,” said pollster Mike Noble, according to KTAR News.

“He needs to watch his negatives too,” he added. “It’s not all champagne, roses and doughnuts.”

Trump’s surge in Arizona comes as he prepares for Wednesday night’s Republican debate on CNN. Trump will be one of the 11 Republican contenders taking the stage at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif.

Wednesday’s survey results mirror Trump’s standing in the crowded field of GOP presidential candidates across multiple national polls. The brash billionaire ranks first out of 16 contenders with 30.5 percent, according to the latest RealClearPolitics average of polls.

Trump has made Arizona a focus of his 2016 strategy since formally launching his campaign in June.

The real estate mogul has repeatedly criticized America’s illegal immigration policies, a nod to the problems faced by the border state and its law enforcement officials.

He reportedly rallied at least 3,500 people in July at an assembly in Phoenix alongside Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, a prominent immigration hardliner.

MBQF polled 650 Arizona Republicans last weekend for the poll, according to KTAR News.