Poll: Ted Cruz Holds Lead in Wisconsin Days Before GOP Primary

A new poll from CBS News shows Texas Sen. Ted Cruz up 6 in Wisconsin just days before the crucial winner-take-most primary. At stake on the April 5th primary is 42 delegates and a serious challenge to Trump’s quest to accumulate 1,237 delegates before the RNC convention.

The poll of 675 likely Republican primary voters finds Cruz with 43 percent of the vote, followed by Donald Trump with 37 percent. Ohio Governor John Kasich is a distant third with 18 percent of the vote. Its the 5th public poll of Wisconsin this week to find Cruz with the lead in the Badger State. Cruz leads the RealClearPolitics average of polls in the state by 6.8 points.

Trump had led polling in the state in February. The CBS poll found that almost half of Republican voters in Wisconsin, 49 percent, report more negative views of Trump in recent weeks. A third of Republican voters say their opinion of Cruz has improved of the past weeks.

Almost half of Wisconsin Republicans, 48 percent, say they would be disattasifed or upset if Trump were the GOP nominee.

Cruz likely received a bump in his polling this week when he was endorsed by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker. The former presidential candidate and popular governor has filmed a TV ad in support of Cruz and has campaigned with him around the state.

The winner of the Wisconsin primary receives 18 at-large delegates. Another 24 delegates are awarded to the winner of the state’s Congressional Districts. The winner of each of the state’s 8 districts receives 3 delegates. There is no proportional allocation in Wisconsin.

Donald Trump, however, holds a clear edge in New York, his home state. The Empire State is next on the primary calendar, awarding 95 delegates on April 19th.

Trump has the support of 52 percent of New York Republicans. Ted Cruz is a distant second with 21 percent, followed by John Kasich with 20 percent.

New York Republicans, however, are divided on how the party should address Trump’s dominance of Republican primaries. A plurality, 42 percent, believe Republicans should stop him from being nominated at the convention, while 37 percent say the party should rally behind him.

New York votes two weeks after Wisconsin. It’s possible that a Cruz victory in the Badger State could give him a boost in New York. Trump, however, remains firmly in control of that primary.