Two new polls put Trump well ahead nationally in GOP race
A new CNN/ORC national poll conducted March 17-20 puts Donald Trump well out in front at 47% compared to Ted Cruz (31%) and John Kasich (17%) among Republican-leaning voters.
When asked "if Donald Trump wins the Republican nomination for President, would you like to see another Republican run for president as a third party candidate or not," 65% of respondents answered "no, I do not want to see another Republican run," with only 30% of those surveyed desiring a third-party candidate.
In addition, 60% of those queried said they would like to see the GOP candidate who leads in the delegate count prior to the convention receive the nomination, and that they do not want to see second-and later-round voting at the convention potentially unseat the candidate holding the delegate lead coming into the convention.
When asked whether John Kasich should drop out of the race, 70% said "yes."
The CBS News/New York Times national poll also conducted March 17-20 similarly has Trump in the lead at 46%, followed by Cruz at 26% and Kasich at 20%.
Both Trump and Cruz are tied among voters in terms of their favorability ratings for honesty and trustworthiness and sharing the values of the survey respondent, but Trump holds a lead over Cruz when it comes to strong leadership capacity (76% vs. 64% favorable).
Two thirds of those surveyed said it would be "bad" if the GOP nominee is not the candidate who earned the most delegates in the state primaries and caucuses.