Donald Trump maintains strong lead among GOP voters nationwide
Just weeks away from the first presidential nominating contests, a new national survey shows Donald Trump is holding onto his commanding lead over the rest of the GOP field.
Trump has the support of 35 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning voters, according to a new NBC News/ SurveyMonkey weekly election tracking poll. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas wins 18 percent support, while Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida earns 13 percent.
The survey was conducted December 28, 2015 - January 3, 2016. It sampled 3,700 adults aged 18 and over nationwide.
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The new survey also shows Trump supporters are committed: 51 percent say they're absolutely certain they'll vote for him, while three in 10 say there's a large chance they'll vote for him. By contrast, just 49 percent of Cruz supporters say there's a large chance they'll vote for him; just 49 percent of Rubio supporters say the same.
Trump leads among men (with 39 percent support), among women (29 percent), and even among white evangelical voters (33 percent). The billionaire businessman also leads among self-described "very conservative" voters (35 percent).
Meanwhile, on the Democratic side, the NBC/ SurveyMonkey poll shows former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton leading Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont by 17 points, 53 percent to 36 percent. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley wins 2 percent support.
Clinton gets more support (57 percent) from Democrat or Democratic-leaning voters who identify as moderate. Sanders, meanwhile, wins more support from those who identify as liberal (51 percent) or very liberal (65 percent).
