New Hampshire poll finds Rubio gaining ground on Trump

A new poll finds Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) gaining ground on Donald Trump in the early-voting state of New Hampshire.

The Adrian Gray Consulting poll shows that while Trump is leading Rubio narrowly among all GOP voters in the state, Rubio is in first place among the Republicans “very likely” to vote in the primary.

{mosads}The survey shows Trump with 21 percent support among all Republican voters, followed by Rubio, with 17 percent, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), with 11 percent, and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, each with 8 percent.

But when the sample is narrowed to Republicans who say they are “likely” to vote, Trump’s lead over Rubio shrinks to just 1 point, 19 percent to 18 percent.

Among “very likely” Republican primary voters, Rubio leads Trump 19 percent to 17 percent. 

The poll’s findings differ sharply from other recent surveys that show Trump leading in New Hampshire by double-digit margins.

The Adrian Gray survey was conducted Dec. 6–8. Trump first called for a ban on Muslims entering the United States on Dec. 7.

The telephone poll included 609 GOP voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Adrian Gray Consulting is a nonpartisan public affairs research company in Westchester, N.Y.