While moderate establishment figures are now embracing Donald Trump more than Ted Cruz as someone they can bring around to their way of thinking, a new poll out by the Wall Street Journal and NBC (two mainstream media companies) show numbers that are likely to disappoint Trump’s followers.
Surveying various types of voters, a certain percentage of which a Republican candidate must win in the general election, the poll asked whether voters had a favorable versus unfavorable view of Cruz and Trump. The results were:
Cruz Trump
African-Americans -20 -72
Latinos -11 -47
Women -1 -36
Independents -22 -26
Suburban Voters -4 -24
While African-Americans have voted in overwhelming numbers for Democrats in general elections since 1964, Latinos are seen as a Democrat-leaning swing demographic. Women also tend to vote more Democrat, though winning Republicans typically narrow this so-called “gender gap” to a manageable number. Self-described independents have long been regarded as a quintessential swing voter block.
The NBC/Wall Street Journal poll was conducted January 9–13, 2016. It has a statistical margin of error of +/- 3.5 percent.
Ken Klukowski is legal editor for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @kenklukowski.