Real estate billionaire Donald Trump bested 15 other GOP candidates to lead the pack, thanks to his strong stance against illegal immigration, according to an Economist/YouGov poll.
Trump trounced runner-up former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush: 15 percent of Republicans selected him as their first choice, and 12 percent as their second. Bush trailed him by four points, with 11 percent saying he’s their first choice, and only seven percent as their second.
A quarter of Republican voters picked him as their first or second choice for the GOP presidential nominee. The pollsters note that Trump’s blistering attack on illegal immigrants and the crimes they commit on U.S. soil has “struck a chord” with fed-up voters. Two thirds of Trump supporters back a Tea Party agenda and are more likely to identify as “very conservative” than other Republicans who chose GOP establishment figures such as South Carolina Sen. Lindsay Graham (one percent) or former New York Gov. George Pataki (nonexistent).
Forty-nine percent of Republicans view Trump favorably, while 43 percent view him unfavorably.
Email Katie at kmchugh@breitbart.com.