Poll: Military voters prefer Trump over Clinton

A new poll shows that members of the U.S. military overwhelmingly support presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump over Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton. 

The Morning Consult poll shows that 51 percent of members of the military surveyed would vote for Trump, compared to 36 percent for Clinton. 

{mosads}Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders fared only slightly better against Trump than Clinton among military voters.  Of those serving in the military, 52 percent would vote for Trump compared to 39 percent for Sanders.  

Trump’s favorability rating among members of the military and in military households is 50 percent — higher than the national average of 41 percent, according to the poll. 

The poll also showed that among those who viewed him favorably, he rated the highest among those who listed “security” as their top issue. The next highest was among those who listed “economy” as their No. 1 concern. 

The poll comes as Trump’s commitment to veterans has been questioned. Recent reports revealed that although the billionaire claimed he raised $6 million for veterans at a Jan. 28 fundraiser, he raised about $4.5 million. Until recently, he had also not fulfilled a pledge to donate $1 million of his own money.

A Washington Post report that first disclosed the discrepancies was published on May 20, just four days before the polling concluded. The reports did, however, prompt a protest on Monday organized by veterans in front of Trump Tower in New York City. 

The poll surveyed 1,668 registered voters between May 13 through 24, and has a margin of error of 2 percent.  

The full study can be found here.