Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump’s lead in New Hampshire has doubled in one week, from 7 points to 14, a new poll found Tuesday.
American Research Group’s survey showed Trump taking 31 percent support, way ahead of second-place contender John Kasich, who is at 17 percent.
{mosads}Ted Cruz follows, at 12 percent, then Marco Rubio sits at 9 percent. Jeb Bush and Chris Christie are tied for fifth, with 8 percent each.
In the same poll taken a week earlier, Trump was at 27 percent and Kasich at 20.
While Trump is struggling to beat back a challenge from Cruz in Iowa, the businessman’s lead in New Hampshire has been dominant and enduring. He has led every poll of the Granite State since mid-July, and currently leads in the RealClearPolitics average by nearly 20 points.
While Kasich’s support has fallen week-over-week in the ARG poll, he has clear momentum in New Hampshire, where he’s staked his campaign.
According to the RCP average, Kasich is locked in a virtual tie with Cruz for second place in New Hampshire. He’s also picked up several influential newspaper endorsements in the region in recent days.
Kasich is in a dogfight with Rubio, Bush and Christie to emerge as the preferred candidate of establishment Republicans, who are anxious over Trump’s dominance and the rise of Cruz.
So far, none of the mainstream GOP candidates have been able to break free, and their split support has helped keep Trump atop in the polls in a state with a history of supporting more traditional Republicans.
The American Research Group’s survey of 600 likely Republican primary voters was conducted between Jan. 23 and Jan. 25 and has a 4 percentage point margin of error.