Trump now leads by … 23 points — Reuters national poll

Read questions and methodology here.

The full sample includes 803 registered voters interviewed by cell phone or landline, with a margin of error of +/-4.2 percentage points.

Trump and Carson appear to have a hold on the Republican Party; Carson was the second choice for 36 percent of Trump supporters, while 30 percent of Carson supporters indicated Trump as their second option. In the summer, Trump’s business partners abandoned him after comments he made about Mexican immigrants. “When the NY Times says, from his top adviser and a couple of others, he’s essentially incapable of learning foreign policy, I mean that’s pretty sad”.

That is because Donald Trump – the great salesman-statesman – not only intimately understands the product he is selling (himself), he also has a deeply instinctual understanding of his customer (voters). Trump who is at 23 percent among white evangelicals and Cruz who is at 22 percent have chipped away at Carson’s advantage among the group. Marco Rubio during the Florida Republican Party’s presidential summit.

But the two candidates were in a dead heat on issues like managing the economy, knowing best how to get things done and combating Islamic terrorism. Sixteen percent gave the win to Cruz and just 9 percent said Trump won the debate.

Many polling experts have speculated that Carson’s support among Republicans may mirror the boom-and-bust arcs of previous insurgent candidates and could be a figment of the inability of early polling to predict actual results several months out. Just 5 percent agreed with the GOP front-runner. Asked if the jobless rate is higher or lower than when Obama took office, 53 percent of Republicans incorrectly responded that it is higher. Bernie Sanders is polling at 45 percent while Clinton is right behind him at 44 percent. The latest daily tracking poll from Reuters has Donald Trump with a sizable lead in the Republican field.

Of the Republicans polled, 55 percent say their vote isn’t locked in. Twenty percent picked Carson, 12 percent picked Florida Sen.

Kasich took out a $6.5 million ad buy hitting Trump, so the billionaire took out a dozen tweets. The conventional metrics that are used to measure candidate momentum are being turned upside down by Trump. He was followed by Trump at 20% and Bush at 16%.

That, and a question about how favorably the candidates are viewed, suggest that a few who are struggling in the horserace may have room to grow. Rand Paul at 5% each. Republican primary voters don’t care that Trump is unelectable and could cost them the Senate and a bushel of House seats.

♦ Sanders 52 percent, Trump 35 percent. The survey was conducted November 11-15.