Poll: Cruz soars ahead in Utah

A new poll shows Texas Sen. Ted Cruz with a steep lead in the Utah GOP presidential caucuses that could award him all of the state’s delegates if it holds. 

{mosads}A Y2 Analytics survey released Saturday puts Cruz with 53 percent of the vote, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. He is followed by Ohio Gov. John Kasich with 29 percent and Donald Trump at 11 percent. 

Utah has 40 delegates, and a candidate will take all of them if he receives a majority vote. Candidates have to reach 15 percent of the vote to win delegates.

Cruz has the endorsement of Utah Sen. Mike Lee (R), who has been on the campaign trail with him there. Utah, along with Arizona and American Samoa, votes on Tuesday. 

Cruz’s large lead could have received a boost from the suspension of Marco Rubio’s campaign. The most recent poll, taken in mid-February, had Cruz and the Florida senator neck-and-neck, with 18 and 17 percent. 

The Y2 poll was conducted March 17–19 and surveyed 500 likely Republican caucus-goers. The poll has a margin of error of 4 percentage points.