Ted Cruz surges ahead of Donald Trump in Republican election poll

Journal poll released this afternoon shows Cruz overtaking Donald Trump, and holding a 28 to 26 percent lead – a statistical tie, but a morale booster and milestone that Cruz gleefully announced to a couple hundred South Carolinians in a school gym. One of them is from Morning Consult, a poll with a fairly novel methodology, which is even more recent and shows Trump fully 27 points out in front of Marco Rubio in second place. It is a significant turn in voter preference from last month when Trump had a commanding 13 point lead over Cruz. Another poll has a 20 point Trump lead but it’s mainly before the debate.

The survey was conducted nationally among 800 registered voters and 400 GOP primary voters. Marco Rubio’s (R-Florida) 17% and Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s (R) 11%.

“When you see a number this different, it means you might be right on top of a shift in the campaign”, McInturff was quoted as saying. In January, Cruz’s lead over Trump in a head-to-head match-up was half that, 51-43. “What you don’t know yet is if the change is going to take place or if it is a momentary “pause” before the numbers snap back into place”, Republican pollster Bill McInturff said, according to NBC.

Trump trails Texas Sen.

An unexpected candidate, billionaire and reality tv star Donald Trump is running full steam ahead to be the next president of the United States. “Like a freight train barreling through signals with his horn on full blast, Trump heads down the track towards a possible nomination”, said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll.

This poll is also a definite outlier.

The pollster acknowledged that the survey represents a clear “shift” in standing between Trump and Cruz.

Justin Boggs is a writer for the E.W. Scripps National Desk.